Secrets And Lies And The Harm They Cause
by TheCacklingCat
Summary: This story is a Death Note AU. It involves parallel universes, evil twins, mythological creatures, and bad decision making.
1. Chapter 1 A Perfect Mess

It was nearing the end of the school and Light Yagami was in his room. The To-Oh exams were fast approaching and he had to study hard if he wanted to achieve a perfect score. He always aspired to make his parents proud and therefore he felt this compulsive need to be perfect.

This usually resulted in Light being quite content with his life; his family loved him, he was good at sports, he was intelligent (always been the top of his class), had never been bullied, and was very charismatic and popular with most people. Then there were times when he just felt very tired and could no longer see any worth within himself or his actions. Like right now, he couldn't seem to concentrate for the life of him; his thoughts kept drifting back to his sham of a relationship with Misa Amane and how it really wasn't fair to either her or him. But it would be just as unfair to his family if they were to discover that he was gay.

"Big brother! Its dinner time," shouted Light's little sister, Sayu, breaking him out of his troubled thoughts.

Light left his bedroom headed for the kitchen. Sayu was just start to set the table and Light decided to help her as he quickly grew fearful of her precarious balancing act with the dishes on-top of the utensils on-top of the drinking glasses on-top of a bowl of salad.

When they were done their father, Soichiro, had just come back from work. Light was honestly glad to see him home tonight, though he may not have shown as much enthusiasm as Sayu. Soichiro was the chief of the NPA (National Police Agency), and would often times work very late hours. From what Light could glean from his parents' conversations and news reports, his father was working on a very difficult case; the Kira case. Light found it all rather strange with the police force having to protect these criminals from a vigilante that was somehow causing them to die of heart attacks.

"Dinner smells very good," said Soichiro, smiling as he entered the kitchen.

"Thanks, Mom and I worked really hard," said Sayu, grinning proudly as Sachiko, Light and Sayu's mother, served up the plates of food.

"For a while there I thought you'd be working another all night… again," said Sachiko, in a passive-aggressive manner. She hated it when her husband left his family for so long, not seeing them for weeks on end and not calling to let them know he was okay.

Light felt something a kin to ice entering his veins; his parents never argued, but would rather say half-hearted comments that were quickly dropped and the leftover anger and bitterness repressed. These little habits left Light feeling mildly ill. Maybe with the exception Sayu, no one in this family was completely in touch with each other or themselves.

For several long minutes, dinner passed by in complete and utter silence. Light found himself mostly pushing around food rather than eating it. The silence felt as though it was the one eating away at him.

"So Dad, how's the Kira case going?" inquired Light, wanting to break the silence as well as being legitimately curious.

"Oh look at that Dad, Light is questioning you about work," exclaimed Sayu, enthusiastically. She was pushing for her father to spend more time with her brother; Light had just seemed so detached lately. "Don't you think Light will be a great detective one day? Right, Dad?"

"I know he will. And about that…" replied Soichiro, briefly pausing as he wiped his hands and face on a napkin. "Light, son, I know that you are close to entering college, so you are very busy. But my colleagues and I think we could use someone of your intelligence on the Kira case."

"Are you asking me to come and work with you?" asked Light, hopeful as looked into his father's eyes.

"Well, yes," answered Soichiro, somehow remaining oblivious to his son's elation.

"R- Really?" stuttered Light, feeling overwhelmed. He rarely got attention from his parents in recent years, since he was doing perfectly fine and they just assumed he didn't need it or want it. It probably didn't help that he pushed them away too, but he was teenager and honestly, when did it, he thought that they would have fought a little harder; well, he wasn't going to make that mistake again. "I'd love to assist you. I'm ready whenever you need me?"

"It's settled then," replied Soichiro, smiling at his son. "We'll let you in on the case tomorrow. But I still want you to go to school every day, and to stay on-top of your studies. Do you think you can handle this along with the additional hours down at the station?"

"Of course," answered Light, immediately. He could and would do anything to please his father and solving the Kira case may make him finally be worthy of his father's praise. "I managed just fine earlier this year. Remember the insurance fraud murder?"

"Yes, I do," answered Soichiro, smiling. "Welcome to the team then."

"Well, then it might be wise if we all head to bed early tonight," said Sachiko, as she cleared the plates off the table; she gave Light a disapproving look as she gathered up his nearly full plate. "Big day tomorrow."

"I guess you're right, Mom," said Light, getting up from the table. "Goodnight."

When Light got back to his empty room all of his previously experienced happiness drained out of him. It's been like this for several weeks now; holding up the perfect image was more difficult, smiling hurt whether fake or legit, and the idea of dying was looking more and more appealing. He honestly couldn't understand it; he was genuinely happy only moments ago and now he was sad.

At times like this Light wondered if he might be depressed, but always shrugged it off. His life was too perfect for him to be depressed. Perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect. Besides he was finally going to spend some long-overdue time with his father. He now had a job to do; he had a purpose.


	2. Chapter 2 Puzzles & Traps

The next day was a Sunday, so there were no school hours to work around. This allowed Soichiro to take Light with him when he drove into work.

"So, son," said Soichiro, breaking the silence that had filled the car for too long. Sometimes he wished he knew what was preoccupying Lights so much; the boy was much too quiet lately, it was really beginning to worry him. "What do you know about the case so far?"

"Just that between ten to twenty people are dying each day," replied Light, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Soichiro had to admit that no matter how attractive his son might be, when he made those expressions he was pretty intimidating; this actually may explain why he had practically no close friends despite being so popular. "And they all had criminal records and they all died from cardiac arrest."

"You gleaned all that from watching the news?" asked Soichiro, impressed. At Light's nod, he continued. "Well, we don't have much more information on the Kira killings besides they're committed during the afternoon, always after 3:30pm. Kira has also killed some of our officers that spoke out against him."

"Wait, I haven't heard anything about those murders," said Light, confused.

"Because they were suicides," stated Soichiro, leaving Light even more confused than before.

"Then how do you figure that is Kira's handy work?" asked Light, his mind trying to process this unusual and confusing puzzle.

"L noticed that Kira used several of the victims to send us a message, taunting us," explained Soichiro, barely managed to suppress a shutter as he recalled the horror he witnessed two days ago. "We watched as one of our own bludgeon herself with a paperweight while writing the first part of the message. We still have no explanation for this occurrence?"

"Did you check their system for drugs?" asked Light, already knowing the answer, but wanting to get confirmation anyways. "Particularly ones that could potentially cause cardiac arrest or mood disorders?"

"Of course, we did," replied Soichiro, pulling into the station's parking lot. "The results all came back clean. But there was something else that we noticed that was strange; at the scene of a majority of the murders there were recently eaten apples that were absolutely clear of any DNA traces."

"That is strange," admitted Light, drawing his brows together in concentration. "So the killer may like apples assuming those are his. He was likely at the scene of the crime then; did you check all the security footage."

"Yes," answered Soichiro. "We found nothing."

Well, thought Light, annoyed. It almost sounds as though our culprit is a ghost.

"Well, according to the suicides plus the lack of drugs…" began Light, deciding to skip over the apple core theory for now.

"This suspect must be extremely charismatic or possess some sort of mind altering ability," deduced Light, his eyes scrunching close in concentration. "Or he could be influential enough to get his hands on some serious blackmail material," Light paused briefly, caught up in a heavy train of thought. "Which is strange. Since, due to the hours the killings take place, he sounds like he is a student. Well, either that or an adult that works some very unusual hours."

"That's interesting. Those ideas sounds very plausible," replied Soichiro, proudly. "Admittedly that still leaves us with a very vague profile of our suspect."

Still Soichiro had to admit this was a better profile of the killer than they already had; he'd be sure to add Light ideas to it. When he and Light entered the building he noticed that his son had become oddly withdrawn. He hoped Light hadn't taken his criticisms too harshly especially since they had very little to do with him. He was only being honest in regards to the case; it was difficult and they didn't have much to go on.

As the two walked the main office, they were greeted by some of the police members on Soichiro's team.

"Morning, Chief," greeted one member, enthusiastically and very, very loudly. "Is this your son, Light?"

"Yes, he is," stated Soichiro, before rolling his eyes as Touta Matsuda hopped over his desk to greet them.

"So you're Light Yagami. It's good to finally meet you," exclaimed Matsuda, shaking Light's hand energetically. "I hear that you and Misa Amane are very close."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Touta Matsuda," said Light, reading the man's name tag as he returned pleasantries with false cheer. "And yes, Misa and I are… close."

Light didn't mean to hesitate, but his relationship with Misa was difficult to say the least. He knew she was beautiful, but try as he might he just didn't find her attractive. He often worried about when she may start requesting their relationship to become more… intimate; the complications that would arise if a certain piece of anatomy didn't rise to the occasion.

"Do you think you could perhaps introduce me to her?" asked Matsuda, entering fan-boy mode.

"I'll ask her about it," agreed Light with a smile that was feeling more forced by the second. How on earth was Matsuda so up-beat? Light was almost jealous.

Soichiro had begun to wander off towards his office during this exchange. Light hurriedly followed.

"So, Dad, what are the tasks for today?" Light asked, entering his father's office before shrugging off his coat.

"Well, mostly, all we can do is try to trace the Kira killings and-"

Soichiro's laptop began making noise, a notification that someone was trying to reach him.

"It's a video transmission from L," muttered Soichiro, realizing his bad timing. "Light, this is very important and top secret. I need you go away for now, I'll text you on you cellphone when to come back."

Feeling disappointed Light sighed, but still obliged, grabbing his coat and swiftly leaving. He had then spent the entire morning walking around the city aimlessly, waiting for his father to contact him. By the time noon hit, Light's stomach reminded him of how he had skipped both dinner and breakfast respectively and decide to go find a place to get lunch. Finding a nice little café, he ordered a sandwich and sat down to eat.

About half-way through his meal, the television screen caught his attention. It was an emergency broadcast; did it have to do with the Kira murder, wondered Light.

"Good evening," announced the man occupying the screen. "Or perhaps it is 'Good morning' to you. As this is a worldwide broadcast from Interpol, I believe it that would vary as to where you may be watching from."

"I am Lind L. Tailor," continued the man as his name flashed on the screen. "L might be easier for you."

Wait, was this the same L that had contacted his father earlier today? Light wondered, his interest pique and the rest of his sandwich now forgotten.

"I believe everyone is aware of this, but a case had erupted in which criminals have become the target of a serial killer," explained Tailor. "This is leading to mass murder on a scale never before seen throughout history."

"No matter what means that he is using, we must take measures against this terrible, monstrous crime!" continued Tailor, ranting aggressively almost. Light was beginning to grow suspicious of this man; something seemed off, the man appeared to be more scared than determined. "To perpetrator of this crime, known under the alias of Kira: I will arrest you! This I do so formally declare! Kira! As for your motive in all of this, I can easily see through it. But what you are doing is evil."

"Be sure of this: I will send you to your execution," Tailor continued to rant. Light was beginning to question this man's sanity; was he trying goad Kira into attacking him, hadn't read the case files. Pulling a stunt like this was suicide, literally. "All of the world's police forces are coming together for this investigation! The whole world is coming together, and we are certain to find you! We will see an end to your genocidal spree! We will restore society to…"

Suddenly, Lind L. Tailor's rant ceased as he began gasping in pain. It appeared as though he might be experiencing cardiac arrest. It seemed as though Kira had gone for his more typical form of attack. Watching this happen on the screen, Light felt horrified, but not surprised.

Just then, the screen went black and a white, calligraphy style 'L' appeared. 'What the hell?' mouthed Light, watching the screen even more intensely than before.

"Splendid, Kira," mockingly congratulated a disembodied voice. "Without laying a hand on someone directly, you're still able to kill them. But the man you have just killed, Lind L. Tailor, was in fact a criminal scheduled for execution. This man's arrest and his verdict were withheld from the media. Even someone like Kira could not have known of him, in other words."

So this was the real L and the other was a decoy. This was getting interesting, thought Light. This L fellow is trying to determine Kira means of attack. Though given the evidence so far it appeared to involve something in the realms of the supernatural. Admittedly, Light wasn't normally someone who readily believed in myths, but when there weren't any other viable solutions you picked the most likely and test it out.

"Now show us. Try and kill me if you can," taunted L. "Why do you hesitate? Come. Don't be shy. Kill me. I know you're there. You can't do it, can you? Kira. In other words, there are those who Kira cannot kill. This is quite the valuable clue."

During the last few sentences, L seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else. It was unnerving in a way.

"I'll tell you this in thanks for the clue," continued L, and even though Light couldn't see his face he could swear he was grinning triumphantly. "The broadcast just now was said to be worldwide, but actually, it was only broadcast in the Kanto Region of Japan."

Light's eyes widened. He was now officially impressed by L's little trick. The clever bastard had narrowed down Kira's location by broadcasting something apparently 'worldwide' with probably a time delay to be shown in different areas at different times and then waiting to see when Kira would react.

Light then noticed that his sandwich had disappeared. He had been so engrossed by the news that hadn't noticed a tiny, black cat stealing his food. Looking under the table, Light spotted the little guy, or girl, working their way through the last quarter. The cat had a bandage on her right paw, so it probably had an owner or something.

"You're a hungry little fella," said Light, smiling at the cute little creature. When the cat noticed Light, the creature looked as though he was ready to bolt.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm not mad," continued Light calmly reaching down to rub the cat's ears. "Go ahead. Eat my lunch, little thief. You'll probably enjoy it more than I would have anyway."

Hearing his phone ding, Light emerged out from under the table, giggling a little. Checking his cell-phone he saw the message was from his father; he wanted him to head back home, he was no longer needed on the case.

Light could feel tears welling behind his eyes threatening to fall. Wiping at his face, Light walked back home with the feeling of shame and worthlessness weighing on him.


	3. Chapter 3 Apple Cores In Bed

"L, why did you do that?" yelled Soichiro Yagami at the laptop; he was angry. He wished L was in the same room as him so that he could shake some sense into the bastard. "You goaded Kira into killing a man he thought was you! You are crossing some very dangerous lines!"

"You act as though the world is black and white," replied L, calmly; though it was hard to tell due to the voice filter. "You refuse to acknowledge the shades of grey that humans simply are."

"What did you're gambit accomplish?" asked Soichiro, trying to cool down and think rationally.

"I determined that he was unable to kill me due to not knowing my name and/or face," stated L, while Soichiro and the rest of his team looked at each other, perplexed. "Actually, I am almost positive that Kira needs at least a name to kill. And he doesn't know my real name."

"Was getting that clue worth being responsible for a man's murder?" asked Soichiro, finding means of investigation to be overly calloused; he planned to call him out on this behavior before it went too far.

"That man was going to be executed by the state. He was living on borrowed time," argued L. "Therefore I am not responsible for taking a life, I only allowed his death to serve a purpose."

"Well, then," began Soichiro as he straightened his shoulders. "Couldn't Kira make the same argument for himself. He murders criminals that he deems deserving it and frightens off any potential criminals by putting the fear of death in them."

"Well, for starters Tailor had his trial and was sentenced accordingly. Then there are the criminals that Kira kills. They range anywhere from murderers to petty thieves. His perspective is almost draconian in nature; that all crimes are equal and deserving of death," explained L. "He also kills those that are undeserving of death by his own standards; the missing chunk of your police force can attest to that. He then goes so far as to taunt the NPA about it; Kira thinks he's God and doesn't have to face the consequences of his actions."

"L, I am not saying that you are wrong for wanting to catch Kira as swiftly as possible," conceded Soichiro, pinching the bridge of his nose; he could feel a headache was fast approaching. "I am just asking you not to blur the lines between good and evil more than necessary."

"I won't go further than necessary," agreed L, placating the police chief before changing subject. "The NPA Headquarters is too well-known and distinctive for our more clandestine operations."

"What do you want us to do about that then?" asked Matsuda, crossing his arms as he grew more irritated by the new guy's antics.

"I've already taken this into consideration, and have established a place for us to meet," explain L. "I am sending you directions via e-mail. We'll see each other there at 5am tomorrow."

"We'll see you then," agreed Soichiro as he turned off the video transmission and opened his e-mail.

At 5am the following day, Soichiro and his team stood outside what appeared to be some average studio apartment building in an urban neighborhood. Buzzing to be let in they immediately headed to unit four as detailed in the e-mail and confirmed at the door.

They were greeted by an elderly man, who introduced himself as Watari. He politely escorted into the main room of the apartment where an abundance of technical equipment had been set-up. And sitting amongst it all was a man they could only assume was L.

L wasn't at all what they'd expected. He was a young man, of about twenty-five; he had pale skin, messy black hair and dark shadows under his even darker coloured eyes. He vaguely resembled a creature from a horror flick; beautiful, but undeniably eerie.

He was also barefoot, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, with faded blue jeans. Soichiro tilted his head as he observed L's peculiar sitting position; he almost in a crouching position with his feet on the seat and his knees almost level with his chest.

"I am L," said the young man, introducing himself.

"This L guy is quite... different than I imagined," said Matsuda, rudely voicing everyone's thoughts. Mogi fought the urge to slap him upside the head.

Soichiro decided he better get on with the introduction so that they could start working on finally solving this case. He pulled out his ID.

"Yagami, chief of the NPA," greeted Soichiro as the others all displaced their IDs as well.

"Touta Matsuda," said Matsuda, following the Chief's lead. The rest of task force followed suit as well.

"Shuichi Aizawa."

"Kanzo Mogi."

"Hirokazu Ukita."

"Hideki Ide."

"You know if I was Kira, you'd all be dead now," said L, positioning his hand into the shape of a gun and pretended to shoot them with a 'bang'. "All thanks to Yagami there. If I were you, I wouldn't be so incline to disclose my identity in future."

"Oh," muttered Soichiro, awkwardly putting his ID away; the other officers had done the same. "So, L, wha-"

"While you're here, working with me you may call me Ryuzaki," interrupted L, as he poured himself some tea.

"Alright, Ryuzaki," agreed Soichiro, before getting back to his previously interrupted questions. "What do you plan for us to do to avoid being Kira's next victims? And why do you think Kira needs a name and perhaps a face to kill?"

"Because when Lind L. Tailor was on TV, his full name was on-screen, and Kira killed him," answered L, pausing briefly to sip his tea. "But when I challenged him to kill me, he didn't. I believe he couldn't due to not knowing my name or face like he did Tailor's."

"I think you're jumping to some pretty far-fetched conclusions," snorted Aizawa in disbelief.

"I actually think it's the only thing that could make sense," commented Matsuda, in complete contrast to Aizawa's thoughts. "The only criminals that are dying had both their name and face disclosed to the public. News programs where the criminal was not yet identified or only had their names disclosed to the public have not been killed."

"Regardless, we're taking precautions based off of my theory until it is either proven to be false or no longer necessary," explained L, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the two officers that were now arguing. He then turned his attentions back to Soichiro. "As to your first question, we will all be using fake IDs and aliases."

Watari had then entered the room with a briefcase arm one arm. Opening he had then proceeded to hand them out. Soichiro looked at his ID; the name on it was Yonjuro Asahi. He took at a curious glimpse of the other task force members' badges; Matsuda's was Matsui, Aizawa's was Aihara, Mogi's was Moji, Ukita's was Okita, and Ide's was Ode. It seemed as though a majority of these names were phonetically similar to their actual names; Soichiro guessed it made it easier to remember.

"Fake IDs?" asked Matsuda, surprised. "But isn't that illegal?"

"I'm aware of that, but we do not have much of a choice," replied L, placing his thumb on the top his lip. "Kira most likely kills using a person's name and face. So our options are limited; it's you decision whether to follow my recommendations, or die."

"Alright," agreed Soichiro. "We'll do you ask."

"Well, now that we're all in agreement," said L, as quickly finished his cup of tea. "Shall we get to work?"

Light did not see his father when he got home from school. It had only been a day, but as time passed Light began to grow worried. He now knew that Kira had a strange and deadly power that allowed him to strike a person dead if he wills it so. Light had determined that the killer only needed the victim's face; the main difference between the L's screen-time and Lind L. Tailor's was that only one of them to die had his face showing.

In the late afternoon, as Light helped Sayu with her homework, he hoped that father would allow him back on the case. This constant worrying and being unable to do anything about it was driving him insane.

Actually, insanity may be a legit concern. Since the L broadcast he had gotten this strange feeling that someone was following him, watching him. It was a feeling that filled him with dread and foreboding. And the apple cores discarded all throughout his room was beginning to make him question his own actions; he couldn't remember any eating apples, he didn't even like them that much, for that matter.

Still he just decided to shrug it before heading for bed. As he cleaned up the mess, a monstrous-looking creature continued to observe him with bright red eyes.


	4. Chapter 4 Five Percent Is Enough

"Light," called Sachiko, from the bedroom as Light finished cleaning the dishes. The Yagami family had recently eaten dinner with the exception of Soichiro, who had pulled another all-nighter. "Can you come here? We need to talk."

"Yes, Mom," replied Light, drying his hands before heading towards his parents' room.

I hope she isn't going to ask me about the Space-Land bus-jacking, thought Light. It was a few days ago and he was alright for the most part, but that wouldn't stop his mom from being worried about him.

_Flashback; Six Days Ago_

_Light had met Yuri at the bus station. He had gotten there a few minutes late so there wasn't a long wait for the bus to arrive. Only three people had boarded at this stop including Light and his 'date'. The bus only had nine passengers. Yuri headed to a set of seats near the back and Light followed. The man that had boarded with them sat one seat behind and across the aisle from them. _

_ "__I don't understand you, Light," said Yuri, tilting her head. "You said that you weren't dating 'til after exams. Also, you're going steady with Misa-Misa. So why are you with me?" _

_ "__Well, you're a very beautiful and intelligent woman," said Light, pausing as he thought of Misa and her most recent request; he really hated lying, but that rarely ever stopped him. "And I just couldn't avoid the temptation." _

_ "__You're such a flirt," giggled Yuri, swatting his arm playfully. _

_ "__Plus I had a perfect score on the practice exam," continued Light, bragging. "So I have nothing to worry about when it comes to the exams." _

_ "__And a nerd," continued Yuri, teasing. _

_Light had laughed in response to her teasing, but truthfully he felt uncomfortable about the whole situation; there were so many things wrong about it. Firstly, his girlfriend, Misa, had asked him to help her friend, Yuri, get over a recent break-up; by going on a date with her. He knew Yuri from school and she never mentioned knowing Misa-Misa personally. And secondly, Yuri thought that he was having an affair with her behind Misa's back and was totally alright with that. _

_Light knew he had a reputation for this sort of thing, but he didn't think it was that bad. Well, whatever, there wasn't much he could do about it now. Plus it was currently working in his favour. _

_The bus was now approaching the third stop before Space-Land. A dirty looking man had gotten on the bus; his hands were buried in his jacket pockets. Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the driver. _

_ "__Stay in your seat unless you want to die," threatened the man; Light had then recognized him as Kiichiro Osoreda, he was responsible for killing three people while robbing a bank. "Everybody shut-up. If anybody moves I'm putting a bullet in their head," Osoreda then focused his attention on the driver. "Alright, driver, you listen to me. I know you have the number for Space-Land's office on you. Call them." _

_ "__Okay," agreed the bus-driver, making the phone call. "This is Sasaki calling from bus 174. My bus had been high-jacked. And he's holding a gun to my head." _

_"__Give me that," demanded Osoreda, roughly snatching the phone from the driver's hand. "You heard what he said, so you listen up. Have a female staff member bring all of Space-Land's cash from yesterday; I know it's there. Have her meet us two bus-stops from the park. And don't make me wait. If you mess with me or get the police involved I swear I will kill every single one of these passengers." _

_Kiichiro had then smashed the phone. Yuri was trembling with fear; Light was scared too. The couple across the aisle from them was having hushed conversation. Light hoped that Osoreda wouldn't hear them over the sounds of engine. _

_ "__Kiyomi don't be frightened," said a man that was well-dressed and possessed a set of red eyes; Light was guessing it was contact lens. He was talking to the beautiful, short-haired woman sitting next to him; it took him a few moments to recognize her, Kiyomi Takada. He had dated her several months ago. _

_The red-red-eyed man had then passed her a note. Light was having difficulty reading it at this distance; he believes it said about attempting to grab the gun out of the high-jacker's hand. _

_ "__Don't be stupid, that's risky," interrupted the man seated behind them. "If it comes to that I'll take care of it." _

_ "__Can you prove you're not his accomplice?" asked the red eyed man. _

_ "__Yeah, I have read about this before," said Takada, thoughtful. "The first high-jacker comes in like he is working alone, meanwhile a second one pretends to be a hostage and stays in the very back just in case anything goes wrong." _

_ "__Here's my proof," said the man sitting behind the couple. He handed them an FBI badge that stated his name was Raye Penber. "I am not that man's accomplice." _

_ "__Alright, I'll trust you. And I guess for the time being I won't ask what an FBI agent is doing on the bus," said the red-eyed man, before asking. "Do you have a gun?" _

_ "__Yeah," confirmed Penber. "I've got one." _

_ "__So if it comes down to it I can rely on you?" asked the red-eyed man. _

_ "__Yes," answered Penber. _

_Osoreda was currently threatening the old couple a few rows up when the red-eyed man dropped a slip of paper in the aisle. Light realized it was likely the note about wrestling for the high-jacker's gun. It had landed closer to Light so he had tried to discretely slide the crumpled piece of paper under his seat using his foot. Unfortunately, before he could even touch it Osoreda had noticed his movements. _

_ "__Don't move you little punk," yelled Osoreda, before roughly kicking Light's leg out of the way. Picking the piece of paper up, he glanced at it before scoffing. "What is this? Plans for a date?" _

_Osoreda then dropped the piece of paper before storming to the front of bus. Light glared at the red-eyed man for causing him to unnecessarily panic, even though he was relieved the note wasn't what he thought it was. Light really didn't want to be in the middle of a shoot-out between a criminal and an FBI agent; then again who would? Well, maybe adrenaline junkies. _

_Suddenly, Osoreda turned around and started freaking out. He had his gun aimed towards the back down the middle of the aisle. Light couldn't understand what he was doing. _

_ "__Who the hell are you?" asked Osoreda, directing his question to an unoccupied area of space on the bus; Light guessed that the man was hallucinating, he was a known drug addict after-all. "You in the very back. What do you think you're doing?" _

_Light was feeling even more frightened than before; if Osoreda was hallucinating, whether it be from drugs or a medical condition, he could end up hurting people without meaning to. Insane people are not easy to predict. Light wondered if the FBI agent was planning on doing something, because he might want to before this gets out of control more so than it already is. _

_ "__D-d-d-don't mess with me," stuttered Osoreda, he sounded very terrified by whatever he was seeing. "How long have you been hiding back there?" _

_ "__Stay there you," yelled Osoreda, appearing to become more unhinged by the second. "You keep away from me, you freak." _

_ "__Everyone get down," shouted Penber. Light immediately complied with that order along with everyone else. _

_ "__Get away," screamed Osoreda, shooting several bullets into the back window. He kept shooting until the gun was empty. _

_With the gun now unloaded Penber had decided to charge at the high-jacker. Before he could reach him, Osoreda had demanded that the driver stop the bus. Light had watched through the window as Osoreda jumped out the bus doors only to get hit by a car. _

_End Flashback _

Everything about that day was so incredibly odd in such an infinite number of ways. Firstly, there was an FBI agent on board; Light couldn't help but wonder why was there. Secondly, there was the red-eyed man who he had looked up; his name was Teru Mikami, a well-known persecutor. What was he doing there? Mikami was known to be very predictable as well as anti-social and OCD; so why would he take a trip to a theme park? Well, there was that beautiful woman, Kiyomi Takada. Thirdly, the man that had them hostage was a murderer that immediately died after leaving the bus. Fourthly, there were the deaths of fifteen FBI agents following this occurrence. And fifthly, the agent that was on that bus died moments before they did.

Was this the work of Kira? thought Light. Was he on that bus? But if he was that doesn't help. There were so many on that bus that could have seen Raye Penber's name and they wouldn't be able to track down all the suspects. L would've already thought of doing this if there was a chance.

Standing in the doorway, Light saw that Sachiko had been crying. She also had a suitcase packed.

"What's the matter, mom?" asked Light, concerned.

"My mother called," answered Sachiko, wiping away the moisture from around her eyes. Light hated seeing her like this, but he had no idea how to help. He had never even met his maternal grandmother, but considering Sachiko reactions she sounded like she worse than his paternal grandmother; which was no easy feat, but that could just be because she hated him.

"And what happened?" asked Light, prompting her to continue.

"There's been an issue with my family, so I am going to have to leave for a little awhile," explained Sachiko, as beckoned for Light to come closer; she then pulled him so that he was sitting next to her on the bed. "I need you to take care of your sister and father as well as the house in my absence. Can you do that for me?"

"No problem, Mom," replied Light, forcing a smile. Taking care of Sayu and the house-hold would be easy; cleaning, cooking, helping with homework, etc. he could do. Taking care of his father would be a different story; the man was hardly ever home now and when he was he was always as stoic as ever.

"My sister is coming to pick me up in about two more minutes," said Sachiko, breaking the melancholy silence moments before a horn started honking from outside. "And she is always early and never patient."

"Let help with your suitcase," offered Light, picking up said item off the floor.

Walking out the door, Light was actually kind of excited; he'd finally see someone from his mother's side of the family. Hopefully they'd like him. No one outside his immediate family truly liked him; for example, his paternal uncle tried to drown him when he was four and his grandmother had encouraged it. Even outside of his family, people only liked him when he was assisting them with something or they were gushing over his good looks.

Truthfully, he felt empty; pretending to be perfect on the outside to earn his family's love and other people's approval had hollowed him out. He didn't even know what he wanted in life anymore. Academically he just decided to apply to a variety of advance courses; criminology, engineering, psychology, etc. The academic and athletic scholarships along with the pay from his jobs should cover the fees, so going into debt was one less thing to worry about.

Reaching the end of the driveway, Light saw a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties with reddish brown hair and a slender, but fit physique. She was standing outside her car and at Light's approach she had turned to look at him. Making eye-contact he couldn't help, but sense that there was something familiar about her. Before Light could observe the stranger more closely, his mother had urged him to head back inside as she took her suitcase from him.

"Oh, and Light, remember to bring your father a change of clothes," said Sachiko, giving him one last fair-well hug at the doorway. "He hasn't been home in so long."

"No problem, Mom," replied Light, returning the embrace. "Get back home soon, though."

Sachiko didn't reply as she tightened her hold on her son while silent tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Considering the nature of the more recent Kira killings," explained L, referring to the now dead FBI agents that he had hired to investigate the NPA officers and their families. "We now know that Kira is likely getting information from one of the members of the NPA."

Everyone was shocked to hear this evaluation, but it made it awful lot of sense. Soichiro was beginning to grow more fearful the more the pieces of the puzzle fit into place. Even Light's own profiling of Kira fit into place; was his son trying to tell him, maybe it was a cry for help.

Soichiro sighed, unwilling to believe his own flesh and blood to be a monster. He looked over at L and decided an important conversation was in order.

"Ryuzaki, a private word, please," requested Soichiro, leaving the room before L could answer to the contrary.

"What appears to the matter, Chief?" asked L, having followed Soichiro out into the hall, and somehow grabbing a plate of strawberry shortcake along the way. Soichiro didn't remember there being cake. Regardless, he had more important things to worry about now.

"Do you consider my son a suspect?" asked Soichiro, taking a deep breath to steady himself so that the sad and pain he felt wouldn't show up upon his face.

"Truthfully, he's my number one suspect so far," answered L, bluntly. World's greatest detective or not, Soichiro was really beginning to hate this man.

"My son isn't Kira," defended Soichiro almost immediately in disregards to his own reservations earlier. "Light's done nothing, but helped; he even assisted on the profiling of Kira. You should know that I had promised my son that I'd let him in on the case. He wants Kira locked away as much as I do."

"What you just said there is suspicious in and of itself; an outsider wanting to infiltrate our inner circle," explained L, shoving his hands in his jeans' pockets; wait, where did the cake go… or even the plate, wondered Soichiro briefly. "From what we know of Kira he is obtaining info from the NPA, he's a student in the Kanto region, and is likely to be highly intelligent and charismatic. And I'm sorry, Yagami-san, but I'm afraid your son is the only one to fit that description perfectly. We'll need to investigate him."

"But you don't know Light as I do," sighed Soichiro, beginning to look worn down and tired. "I can't see him as being this inhuman monster that Kira is."

"I know you can't, Yagami-san. No good father could," replied L, trying to make eye-contact with the Chief even as the man continually tried to avoid it. "I'll need to investigate him further, hopefully without him realizing it. I have already looked into him a bit, and he just seems… perfect… abnormally so."

"He's a good lad," muttered Soichiro, willing himself to continue believing it. "He spends most of his time studying; he just graduated at the top of his class and his entrance exam is in a few days."

"Were you there for your son's graduation, Yagami-san?" asked L, moving into Soichiro's personal space.

"No, I was here working on the Kira case," admitted Soichiro, feeling a momentary bit of shame. "But I sent him a nice watch."

L was tempted to say particularly scathing remark, but decided to refrain from doing so. He had more important matters to address with Light's father.

"What does he do when he's not at home?" asked L, as hopped onto the nearby table like an overgrown frog.

"I believe he's usually out with his girlfriend, Misa Amane," replied Soichiro, keeping his eyes on the strange man as he took several steps away from him.

"Do you truly believe Light is innocent, Yagami-san?" asked L, his eyes seeming to burrow themselves into Soichiro's soul. "Or are you simply hoping he is?"

"How much do you suspect my son of being Kira?" asked Soichiro, deflecting L's own questions. Soichiro took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a serious tension headache forming.

"About five percent," said L, lying. In reality, his suspicion on Light's guilt was about forty percent and rising.

"Five percent," repeated Soichiro, a hint of relief was detectable in his tone of voice. Five percent was still a high number when you factor in the Kanto region's population, but Soichiro was choosing to assume it simply had to do with Light's association with him.

"It's enough," said L, heading back to the main room; effectively ending their discussion.

When Light reached the police station the next morning the receptionists refused to let him in. Apparently, the investigation team was away and they couldn't disclose any information about their location. The receptionists allowed Light to sign in so that he could drop off his father's change of clothes at the station. He had quickly learned that many people were too afraid to continue with the Kira investigation, so the team was only made up of something like five or six members of the NPA; Light knew his father had to be on that team.

Well, it seems like he wasn't going to get a hold of him anytime soon. As he was leaving the station he overheard something interesting in a conversation between one of the receptionists and a pretty, grey-eyed woman.

"I have important informing pertaining to the Kira investigation," said the grey-eyed woman. "I need you to contact someone from the task force. It's urgent."

"Look, I'll call headquarters one last time for you," replied the second receptionist, picking up the phone and dialing headquarters. "Just give me a moment, please."

Light had already been through this five minutes earlier; she wasn't going to get anywhere soon.

"As I thought there is no one at headquarters," said the receptionist, after several minutes. "You're going to have to trust me on this, ma'am. I'll be sure to give them your message as soon as I see them. I promise."

"That's not good enough," argued the grey-eyed woman. "I have to tell them in-person."

"Um, excuse me, ma'am," said Light, moving closer to the woman. "I know someone who is involved in the investigation. If you want to wait I'm sure that as soon as he checks his phone he'll call me back."

Well, Light hoped his father would anyway. Light had been trying to contact him for at least two weeks; there was a grand total of sixty-one missed calls and twenty unread messages. As for his vagueness when referring to his father, Light didn't want to endanger him by exposing his identity. If anyone knew Light Yagami's father was on the Kira case, then Kira may track down Soichiro's name and use him like he may have used Raye Penber.

"Can you maybe give me his phone number, instead?" asked the grey-eyed woman.

"You could use it to search for his name," explained Light, letting his sense of caught show. While he was talking he was changing the name of his father's contact on his phone from DAD to DD. "I'm willing to let you use my phone."

"Alright," replied the grey-eyed woman, grateful. "Thank you so much."

The woman had then begun walking out the building.

"You don't mind if we stretch our legs a bit," asked the woman, as Light jogged to catch up to her. "It's better than waiting here."

"Yeah, sure. It's not like it's cold outside or anything," replied Light, sarcastically as he felt a biting cold breeze hit as exited the station. "So why are you risking your life like this? What information do you have that's so important?"

"Well, it's already been figured that Kira can kill any number ways and control the victim's actions prior to death," stated the grey-eyed woman, Light nodded his head in confirmation before she continued. "Well, I think the bus-jacking that occurred several days ago was a staged attack; used for information gathering. I believe Kira planned to learn my fiancé's name. He then somehow made him betray his fellow FBI agents before dying at Shinjuku Station."

"Wait, you're Raye Penber's fiancé," said Light, to the woman's shock. "Do also think that Kira was on that bus?"

"Yes," replied the grey-eyed woman. "But the driver could remember any of the passengers; I had questioned him earlier today."

"I was on that bus," explained Light, excitedly; they had reached a real breakthrough on the Kira case. "There were only four people on that bus that could have learned your fiancé's name; Teru Mikami, Kiyomi Takada, Yuri Kagami, and myself."

"You do understand that this information will be incriminating towards you?" asked the grey-eyed woman, looking deeply into his eyes; Light felt as though those eyes were burrowing into his very soul.

"Well, I know that I'm innocent," said Light, confidently. "And I'm sure that the task force will discover that as a fact," Light briefly paused as he thought of his father; both of his disappointment and his safety. "Since Kira started killing law enforcers, I've wanted him gone."

"You took no issue with him killing criminals?" asked the grey-eyed woman, interested.

"I didn't really care to be honest," answered Light, truthfully. "They were known murderers and rapists. It was when Kira began targeting lesser criminals, I became more concern. And with what Kira is doing now…" Light felt his eyes beginning to water; he was really beginning to worry for his father's safety. "My Dad's a police officer."

"I understand," said the grey-eyed woman, as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's awful. To fear losing someone you love. And it's worse when it actually happens."

"I'm sorry for your-" Light was interrupted by his phone ringing; he quickly answered it. "Hi, I'm with… What's your name again?"

"Shōko Maki."

"Shōko Maki, she was Raye Penber's fiancé," explained Light, as a sense of dread went through him; as soon as he passed the phone to Shōko, her speculation would incriminate him. "She has some valuable information regarding the Kira investigation."

"Very well, put her on," said Soichiro, as he went to get L's attention.

L took the cell-phone, and listened to a voice he almost immediately recognized from the L.A. B.B. case; Naomi Misora. She stated a great deal of information that was interesting to L before hanging up. He looked up at the NPA chief as he looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Yagami-san it looks like your son's chances of being Kira have increased by eleven and a half percent," stated L, as he gave the chief his phone back. "It looks like I'm going to be meeting Kira face to face very soon."


	5. Chapter 5 Arikura-no-Baba

It has been almost a week, since his conversation with Shōko and Light was still out of the loop. Aren't they going to question him or something? His father had come home five days ago and was more tight-lipped than usual; he had only asked about his mother and Light told him what Sachiko had said. Other than that dinner time was an unbearably silent affair. Light was glad that Sayu was having a sleep-over at a friend's house; she shouldn't have to be involved in this silent conflict between father and son.

Light knew that Soichiro was angry and he also knew that he was the source of it. Well, who else would he be angry with? thought Light, bitterly. I'm likely a Kira suspect now. My father needed me to be perfect and all I am is a disappointment.

Suddenly, Light let out a hiss of pain as he managed to prick himself with a needle. He was so lost in his thought he had momentarily forgotten his surroundings; he was working on sewing a top while attending his sister's stage rehearsal.

Currently, he was with Sayu in the classroom set aside for Drama Club. A year ago, when his little sister had first join him in high-school she had wanted to participate in an activity they could do together. Still it really wasn't all that different from previous years, though Light had now joined in a more official capacity; rather than simply being outside help, he was now considered a part of the group.

Sayu had always been a fan of the stage and Light had always encouraged it by assisting in the costuming department; Sayu had at least thirty originally designed outfits made by him. Actually, it was through Sayu and drama club that had caused Misa and him to end up together.

_Flashback; Two Months Ago_

_ "__Isn't this great, brother?" yelled Sayu over the noise of the crowd. They had snuck out to the Misa-Misa concert during school hours. _

_ "__Yeah," yelled Light back towards his sister, smiling. "I still can't believe you managed to convince the principal this was an educational field trip." _

_ "__What I can I say, I've had plenty of time to perfect the sad puppy eyes trick," teased Sayu. "Especially with you." _

_Light gave her a look of mock mortification; he would normally never be so expressive in public, but for Sayu he'd make an exception. _

_The Misa Amane concert was going to an end with the song "I'm Ready." Sayu, Light and the rest of the Drama Club were trying to worm their way through the crowds with hopes of catching Misa's attention; she was known to occasionally invite a few members from the audience backstage. So the Drama Club had decided to come here as a group dressed in their stage clothes as gimmick to catch Misa-Misa's eye. _

_Light didn't want to inform Sayu that it was unlikely they'd be chosen; there were so many people here, they themselves were a fairly large group to accommodate, and they were still quite far away from the stage. Misa was looking out into the crowd when she locked eyes with Light. Light at first thought he imagined it, but then she had beckoned him and the group he was with to the stage. Some bodyguards came to escort them to her dressing room. _

_ "__OMG, can you believe this," squealed Sayu, in a pitch so high Light could swear his ears were bleeding. "We get to actually see Misa-Misa up close in person." _

_The other members of the club talked amongst themselves in the same manner as Sayu. Then Misa entered the room with an angry look in her eye and she was immediately followed by her manager, Yoshi, and several important people that were involved with the upcoming movie with Hideki Ryuuga. The Drama Club people went silent overwhelmed with excitement. When her eyes landed on the group her anger seemed to pique, and turning to one of the bodyguards she began to throw a mild tantrum. _

_ "__I only wanted the brunette boy-toy there," yelled Misa childishly, alarming everyone in the room with the exception of her manager and the director who was eying the group's clothing. "Why are all these people here?" _

_ "__This is director, Nishinaka, and his associates; they came to discuss your contact for the film 'Spring Eighteen'," explained Yoshi, while simultaneously one of bodyguards said, "Sorry, we misinterpreted your gesture towards pretty-boy as being bring in him plus group." _

_Light was feeling a tad uncomfortable being sexually objectified, but to some degree he was used to it, just not this blatantly. Sayu was the only one in the room still smiling, though it was beginning to look a little forced. _

_Misa and Yoshi continued to argue while Nishinaka looked like he was sporting a massive headache. The Drama Club mostly went unnoticed, except by one of Nishinaka's associates, who was still eying them. She walked up to them and it became more obvious she was inspecting their clothes. _

_ "__Where'd you get these?" asked the woman, curiously. _

_ "__My brother made them," said Sayu, proudly. "You're Madam Trevi, world famous designer." _

_ "__Yes, I am she," answered Trevi, with a polite smile as she ignored the commotion going on behind her. "You…" Trevi pointed towards Light. "Made these?" _

_ "__Yes ma'am," confirmed Light. _

_ "__What was your inspiration?" asked Trevi, figuring the jacket Light was wearing. _

_ "__We're putting on a musical at our high-school," answered Sayu, excitedly. "Sweeney Todd set in modern times. Light agreed to design the costumes and play several of the murder victims. I'm Johanna." _

_ "__Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Johanna," replied Trevi, purposely misunderstanding Sayu before calling the director over. "Nishinaka, what do you think of these outfits? As costuming manager, I believe that they'd work well in this film project." _

_ "__Some of them need more work," criticized Nishinaka, eying them from a distance. "Especially, the outfit the bishōnen is wearing. The only ones that are truly ready as is are Johanna's and the handsome lad's there." _

_Nishinaka gestured towards Yamamoto, who was playing the role of Benjamin Barker. Yamamoto smirked in Light's direction; he was likely going to hear jabs at being called bishōnen rather than handsome. Frankly, Light didn't really care about that as long as he wasn't called gay. He couldn't be anything less than perfect; he owed that to his family. He was honour bound to be exactly what his mother and father needed him to be. _

_ "__There is no need to be so harsh, Nishinaka," chided Trevi; if only she could hear Light's thoughts than she would be chiding him for that very reason. "There's some polishing needed, but otherwise these designs are pretty good." _

_ "__I'm not saying wouldn't be a good asset," defended Nishinaka. "But you're the head of the costuming department, so if you want to hire him then hire him; though remember he is your responsibility." _

_Yoshi had then sauntered over with something resembling a smile. Light had to admit that Yoshi was a rather scary woman who always looked to be one bad comment away from gouging your eyes out. So when she was smiling you better pray to God its good news and not a psychotic break. _

_ "__We've come to agreement, Nishinaka," said Yoshi, tapping the man on the shoulder. "Misa Amane will be involved in your film project, but there are certain details we'd like to go over with you now. So if you don't mind…" _

_Yoshi had then proceeded to drag Nishinaka back to the other side of the room. _

_ "__So, Light, will you consider working for me?" asked Trevi, smiling sweetly in way that emphasized her prim and grandmotherly appearance. Light was almost sure he was being manipulated as he looked into a set of intelligent, blue eyes; she may be just a fashion designer, but she good one based on her own clothes and her status, and she knew how to run the business angle. "Or are you planning on turning down the opportunity to work alongside Misa-Misa?" _

_ "__OMG! Are you serious?" squealed Sayu, bouncing in her seat, barely containing her excitement. "Of course, he's in. Right, big brother?" _

_ "__Of course," replied Light as he looked at Trevi with a knowing look. She had successfully played him by using his sister; at least it wasn't done too maliciously. _

_She just smirked in return. Light had to admit he had respect for this manipulative bitch of a woman. _

_End Flashback _

The last two months had Light precariously balancing school and school activities with his part-time job. It was only a week filming when Misa had asked him out; he had turned her down, but she just refused to acknowledge it. It was only a few days later when he was working on the hem of her skirt that she had broken down crying about how she had no one, since her parents' murder. She then went on about how she felt safe around him and that he was what she wanted.

Light had an overwhelming sense of pity as listened to her; it was her raw emotion and heavy unappealing sobs that really got to him. Misa's parents died when she was very young and the trauma left her mentally scarred; this actually might explain her child-like mannerisms.

So in the end Light agreed to date Misa under the condition that she'd look into acquiring a good therapist. After entering the relationship Light found that this was also the perfect move for him too; he no longer had to fear bullying when he turned down sexual offers nor would he have to worry about people guessing his sexual orientation and as a bonus Sayu got to spend time with her favourite pop idol.

Suddenly his phone alarm went off breaking his concentration on the modifications he was making to what was going to be Hideki Ryuuga's outfit in the movie. Unfortunately, Light's alarm had also broken the concentration of the Drama Clubs acting.

"Hey, man," yelled Yamamoto, carelessly gesturing with his straight razor. "I was just about to stab Turpin in the throat."

"What's happening?" asked Sayu from within an old chest they had acquired for a stage prop. "Can I come out of the box yet?"

"I'm leaving," said Light, as he packed his work into a clothing bag. "I need to drop these by Madam Trevi's. And Sayu, can you tell Mom that I'll be out later than usual?"

Light had scheduled a date with Misa for tonight. Truthfully, he was a little scared. She said she wanted to try something new.

These troubled thoughts and their variations bombarded his mind as he walked to Trevi's place. She was staying in a small apartment just north of the city. She wasn't staying permanently; she had told him that she was leaving after filming wrapped up. Honestly, Light thinks he may genuinely miss her.

"Evening, Light," greeted Trevi, smiling. "Would you like to come in? I was just about to help myself to a spot of tea."

"Thank you, Ms. Trevi," replied Light, as handed her the clothing bags and entered the brightly lit apartment.

Trevi led him into the kitchen where a kettle was whistling on the stove. The table was covered paper sketches; Light guessed she was struggling like he was on designing outfits for a sci-fi, romance, drama film that didn't look ridiculous. Light took the seat that was opposite of the one she was likely occupying previously.

"How do you take your tea?" asked Trevi, as she poured the hot water into two cups. "It's Oolong."

"No milk, no sugar," replied Light, as he looked over her written notes. There was something about alternate realities, shinigamis, witches, and kitsunes. "What's this about? Does this have anything to do with the film?"

"In a way, maybe," answered Trevi, vaguely before changing the subject. "I hear you and Misa are going out tonight."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what Misa's plans are," replied Light, fiddling with the string of the tea bag. "I think we're meeting at a night club or something. She likes partying."

"You don't seem happy," observed Trevi, pausing briefly before giving him a bit of advice. "And you won't be unless you stop lying to others and yourself."

"Why do you think I'm a liar?" asked Light, defensively.

"Because you are," replied Trevi, calmly. "And I'm not saying that you are doing it to be malicious or self-serving. Actually, quite the contrary; I think you're lying to protect your loved ones' feelings."

"Well, how much do you know about me?" asked Light, in challenging sort of voice; truthfully he was feeling worried.

"I'm a very perceptive person," explained Trevi, leaning forwards and cupping Light's fidgeting hands in her own. "You're uncertain of what you want to do with your future, you hide your feelings of being overwhelmed and you been lying about your sexual preferences; is that really being fair to anyone?" Trevi paused as she noticed Light's down-casted eyes that were on the verge of tears; he was feeling ashamed and very, very scared. "Don't worry; I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm just letting you know that I believe that some horrible events will happen to you and keeping secrets will just complicate the problem."

"Though if I was completely honest than that would complicate things as well," replied Light, glaring; he really didn't appreciate Trevi's unsolicited advice. "And why do you think something bad is going to happen? Are you an arikura-no-baba or something?"

"A what?" asked Trevi, giggling.

"Arikura-no-baba," repeated Light, pausing to take a sip of tea before continuing. "It's an ol-… it's a woman with magical powers."

"Is that so?" said Trevi, with knowing quirk to her lips; Light knew she had caught his verbal fuck up. "Well, my intuition is usually right, so you may want to heed my advice."

"I'll take it under consideration," promised Light, not really meaning it. Looking at the clock, he noticed that he had twenty minutes before he was supposed to meet Misa. "Thank you for the tea, madam. It was a pleasure speaking with you, but I need to go meet Misa soon."

"Wait up. I got something for you," said Trevi, pushing him back down into his chair.

Trevi then left to retrieve something from another room. She came back with a rectangular shaped box, which she set down in his lap. Light looked at Trevi questionably, quirking an eyebrow, before lifting the lid off the box. It contained a rather neat looking outfit that would suit the nightclub's setting better than what he was currently wearing.

"The clothes are truly beautiful, but I don't think I can wear them," admitted Light, feeling like the outfit looked to be somewhere between bad boy and S&M. He had to maintain his prim and proper, groomed for success appearance. "There are going be paparazzi following Misa around, sneaking pictures. I don't want my father seeing me where I'm looking anything less than perfect."

"Honestly, you need to lay-back a little; you're way too tense for a person your age," teased Trevi, pulling Light to his feet. "And considering where Misa is taking you tonight this will help you stand out in a good way rather than the awkward way your current get-up will induce. You can change behind here."

Trevi shoved him behind a dressing screen. Light decided to just go with it; it's not like it would hurt. Now that he thought of it neither Soichiro nor Sachiko really looked into magazines or social media, so they'd likely never know. And even if they did it wouldn't indicate anything truly negative; just that he occasionally did the same activities that a majority of other teenagers do. In other words, his parents would only see, at most, a touch of tarnish to his otherwise perfect surface rather than the horrible mess that was inside.

It only took a few minutes for Light to change out of his school uniform and into the clothes Trevi provided. He was fastening the metal collar around his neck as he walked out from behind the screen.

"It looks great; I knew it would," complimented Trevi, mostly towards herself. "If you're interested have a few other casual clothes you can have. I'd hate to think of you doing this yourself; you may just pick out a cartoon t-shirt. That's big no-no in fashion."

Light could help the laugh that escaped his lips. She may be a little strange, but being around Trevi was sort of freeing. She wasn't afraid to call him out on his bullshit, but she wasn't judgmental about it either.

"Do you want me to help you with your face?" asked Trevi, as she brought out her make-up kit.

Light agreed and sat down on a nearby stool. Trevi noticed he already had a light application foundation on his face, likely to get rid of shine. So she just added some eye-liner and eye-shadow; the boy had very beautiful eyes that always seemed to be changing colours, going from light brown to amber to blood red. It was both strange and oddly alluring.

"Alright, we're done," announced Trevi, as she escorted Light out of the apartment. "You better get going now; you don't want to be late. You can pick up your things on the way back."

Luckily, Light didn't have far to go, since he only had four minutes left to make it on time.


	6. Chapter 6 A Blue Hawaiian

Light arrives outside the nightclub just on time. Misa is waiting just inside. She gives him an appreciative once over before dragging him out to the dance floor. Though calling whatever everyone was doing dancing was a bit of a stretch; it was mainly consisted of humping and/or grinding.

Regardless of the unwanted touching and groping from no less than twenty different people, Light kind of like the atmosphere; the loud music that vibrated through his bones, and the bright multi-coloured lights flashing before his eyes.

After about thirty minutes of 'dancing' Misa pulls Light towards the bar. Light is surprised to see Hideki Ryuuga there.

"Hey, Hideki-san," greeted Misa, happily hugging him. "I'm so glad you came."

"I told you I would," replied Hideki, returning the hug before looking Light's direction. "Is this your boyfriend? He's pretty. Are we still on for the threesome?"

"I beg your pardon," replied Light, shocked.

"Surprise," exclaimed Misa, bouncing in excitement. "I thought this was a great way of making our first time together memorable. Hideki here is bi and I'm kind of a yaoi fan. And so, if you're open-minded, I have a backroom reserved for us."

Light took a moment to deliberate Misa's request; a boy-boy-girl threesome. This was actually a little bit scary and overwhelming; this was his first ever sexual experience. But also he was kind of looking forward to it; he didn't want to remain a virgin, Hideki seemed nice and was easy on the eyes, and he didn't want to disappoint Misa that had been nothing, but kind to him in her own way.

"Well, it does sound like fun," replied Light, giving Misa a gentle kiss on the lips. Hideki had then gripped the back of Light's head and guided the young man into a deeper, more passionate kiss with him. When their lip parted from each other's they were both breathing heavy with excitement. "Let's do it."

"Yay," cheered Misa, gesturing for Light and Hideki to follow her to second floor where there was a total of five rooms; she unlocked the fourth one. "Come my boy-toys into the play-pen."

"That honestly was the most cringe-worthy pick-up line I've heard in a long time," teased Hideki, laughing when Misa looked at him with indignation.

Suddenly, Misa seemed to remember something she forgot. Crossing the room she reached into one of the dresser drawers; she pulled out a camcorder.

"No cameras," objected Hideki, taking the equipment from her hands and putting it away. "I don't want our activities to be recorded."

"It's only for personal use," explained Misa, looking like she felt embarrassed and a little ashamed.

"It's still a sex tape," replied Hideki, as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "I don't want to take the risk of one of those circulating the public."

"Alright," agreed Misa, looking disappointed before perking back up.

Misa then sauntered over to Light, while removing her jacket. She then began guiding Light over to bed while stripping him of his shirt. Light reached up to remove the collar from around his neck. Hideki had grabbed his hands stilling his movements.

"Keep that on," demanded Hideki, in a husky sounding voice. He then proceeded to kiss the nape of Light's neck; doing his best to mark it with a line of hickeys.

Light was working on removing Misa's bra while gently pressing his lips along her collar bone. The bra gave him very little trouble, but he has worn a corset before; the basic idea is quite similar.

It wasn't long before they had removed every article of clothing from each other. Light had then crawled between Misa's legs to perform oral stimulation; he hadn't ever done this or any other sexual activity, but he was a quick learner and liked to research things he was unsure about. And rule number one is make sure the nails are smoothly trimmed and clean; no one wants a bacterial infection or irritation down there.

Face in position, Light started by using his tongue to lick up the entire vulva before settling around the clit; he wasn't really fond of the taste at first, but he expected that. He thought about trying the nibble technique, but he didn't want mess that one up; biting is a big no-no. So he settled mostly on the swirl, sneak and hoover techniques; he attempted the hummer, but didn't feel comfortable enough with making so much noise. There were also times that he had to remind himself to slow down; foreplay should take a minimum time of twenty minutes.

Then using his other hand he fiddled with her opening trying to gently ease a finger in; her G-spot seemed to be about two inches in. He moved his finger in a 'come hither' motion. When Misa's face went flush and her glands were squirting he felt a little proud; truth be told he had begun looking a Misa's girl parts as a sort puzzle box and he liked puzzles.

Looking up he saw that Hideki and Misa kissing as he caressed her breasts and she jacked him off. Before he could finish, though Misa had shoved him away.

"I want to watch you two doing it," said Misa, moving off the bed and into a nearby chair. "And I'm going to masturbate to it."

Light and Hideki looked at her perplexed by the abrupt change of positions, but quickly decided to roll with it. Hideki had directed Light to get down on his hands and knees before he proceeded in rimming him. Light enjoyed the feeling of Hideki's tongue teasing him. Hideki had then stopped as he grabbed the lube; coating both his fingers with it.

Hideki had then begun to gently insert his fingers into Light; it took a fair amount of stretching before he was ready for something bigger. Hideki couldn't stop himself from teasing Light about being a virgin. Regardless, Hideki was very slow and very careful as he entered his lubricated penis into Light's anus; still it hurt, but after several minutes it wasn't so bad. Hideki then started moving in and out in a steady rhythm that was gradually quickening in pace, but still making sure to hit his prostate.

Light could feel that he was getting close to orgasming. In a few more thrusts, Light found himself cumming. Looking over at Misa it looked like she herself had orgasmed several times; she certainly wasn't lying when she claim to be a yaoi fan. Hideki had cum several minutes later; during that time Light had reached a 2nd orgasm.

"That was amazing," said Hideki, panting. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Light's glistening, sweat covered face; Hideki couldn't stop himself making a remark on the boy's attractiveness. "You're very beautiful. I'm surprised that I've never seen you in films or something."

"I have other ambitions," replied Light, moving into a semi sitting position. Hideki leaned in for another kiss; one of his hands caressed the side of Light's face while the other gripped his exposed hip. When they parted, Light looked over towards a slumbering Misa. "Do you think Misa enjoyed herself? She left half-way through, so I'm not sure if she felt abandoned."

Light knew Misa had issues (actually that's partially the reason he got with her) and that she was very sensitive. Something that might not set off a normal person may cause her to burst into tears. There were also moments when Light was almost certain that Misa was suicidal; she had a lot of severe mood swings and would often engage in reckless behaviour.

"Yaoi girls are a little strange; I guess it's similar to how some guys get off watching lesbians. I think she had fun and that there's nothing to worry about," suggested Hideki, as he fiddled with the collar around Light's neck. "How about you wipe off and we go back downstairs? I'd like to do some dancing; I have yet to have a chance to do that today."

"Alright," agreed Light, moving away from the bed in search of his clothes. "Should we wake up Misa?"

"No, let her sleep," replied Hideki, covering her exposed flesh with a blanket; to give her a sense of modesty when she woke.

When Light and Hideki left the room, Misa's eyes flew open. She was supposed to get blackmail material on Light. Her first attempt was with Yuri Kagami; this was before she knew that Light wasn't ashamed of being a flirt. And this second attempt fail due to Hideki Ryuuga, of all people, was too smart to fall for her ploy.

Misa may not know the entirety of alternate Light's plan, but she knew her part. She had met the other Light the same night she had met Rem and gained ownership of Gelus's death note. He claimed to be from an alternate universe wanted to needed this universe's Light's compliance for something; Misa didn't know what that something was.

Misa really didn't want to do this to this universe's Light, but she owned alternate Light a debt; he was Kira and had avenged her parents' death. Even though this universe's Light was kinder she loved alternate Light more and would do anything for him. But she had missed her chance to get the blackmail footage; her plan had definitely relied too heavily on Hideki being stupid and Light being naïve.

Flipping open her phone, Misa looked through his contacts for Kira's number. Suddenly, a name caught her attention; Hitoshi Demegawa. The man was the director for Sakura TV and was a real creep. He was known to request sexual favors from employees and Misa knew for a fact that it wasn't uncommon for him to drug the unwilling and take advantage them. Hitoshi liked both men and women as long as they were young and attractive. Light certainly fit that description.

Misa pressed the call button. As she waited for someone to answer she tried to set up the camera in place where it was hidden from sight. Her hands were shaking so badly that Rem decided to intervene and set the camera up for her.

Suddenly an angry, grumbling voice sounded from over the phone.

The past two hours had Light and Hideki flirting, dancing, and joking around with each other. Light was actually pleasantly surprised over how much fun he had; he didn't like the idea of drinking, but thankfully Hideki didn't push. They were sitting at the bar when Hideki mentioned he was feeling a little tipsy. He then requested a marker from the bartender.

"I think I'm going to call a taxi home," said Hideki, grabbing Light's arm and uncapping the marker with his teeth. "This is my phone number. I had a lot of fun tonight, let's do it again sometime."

"I'd like that," replied Light, looking at the series of numbers Hideki had messily scrawled on his arm. "I should go check up on Misa. Make sure she is alright."

"I'm doing just fine," answered Misa, who had snuck up on Light.

Hideki got up to leave as Light turned his attention towards Misa. Misa had ordered two drinks; a Blue Hawaiian and a Tequila Sunrise. She pushed the blue one in his direction.

"I'm meeting another business associate here," said Misa, sounding sad and defeated. "It's strictly business this time. Sakura TV is conducting an interview with me."

"Well, that's good. Isn't it?" asked Light, turning to face Misa as he ran a hand up and down her upper arm in what was supposed to be a soothing manner. He was becoming increasingly concerned by Misa's behaviour. Why was she looking so miserable? Was she upset with him?

"It is good!" exclaimed a middle-age, morbidly obese man who had taken the seat on the other side of Light. Light had the uneasy feeling that the old man was leering at him. "I'm the director of Sakura TV, Hitoshi Demegawa," introduced the old, obese man, leaning in uncomfortably close to Light before signaling the bartender. "I'll have a beer."

"Let's have a toast," said Misa, with an uncomfortably forced looking smile.

"Actually, I don't think I'll imbibe," interrupted Light. "I have exams tomorrow morning."

"Oh, come on, Light. One won't hurt you," begged Misa, placing the drink he had chosen to ignore back into his hands. "Please, for me."

"Fine," agreed Light, reluctantly.

"To my budding career in film," announced Misa. The three of them all took a sip from their respective drinks. Light took only a few sips from his own, grimacing at the taste. Something seemed off about it, but he had never drunk liquor before so he had no frame of reference on how it should taste.

After only a few minutes, Light was finding it difficult to balance; the room was swimming in and out focus and his thought processes felt sluggish. Misa cell-phone ring just barely caught his attention.

"It's Yoshi. She expects me to be ready for tomorrow's film session, so I have to go now," explained Misa, hanging up the phone. She then placed a key into Light's hand. "I don't think I locked the room upstairs. Can you do it for me? Then give the key back to the owner when you're done. Thanks."

Before Light could even open his mouth Misa was gone. Light flinched when he felt Demegawa's hand on his leg. Light decided that he needed to get out of here. Standing up he stumbled a few feet before feeling two meaty hands grip him around the waist. Light tried to pull away, but he felt too weak.

"Aren't you a light-weight?" teased Demegawa, dragging Light up the stairs. "Didn't even make it through half a cock-tail, did we?"

Entering the room, Demegawa turned on the lights before dumping Light face down on top of the bed. He then proceeded to roughly strip Light of his clothing; ripping them in the process. Demegawa had then pulled down his own pants to release his already half hard member.

Light was feeling very confused and disoriented. He wasn't even sure where he was as he flinted in and out consciousness. There was a flare of pain and a flurry of sounds and colours. The world was no longer making any sense. Light felt very sick, but he was having difficulty moving or even breathing. This went on for what may have been an hour before he blacked-out completely.

When Light finally regained consciousness the first thing he realized was he was naked and that he was bleeding; the blood seemed to be coming out of his rectum along with some semen. He also had bruises and cuts all up his thighs and on his hips. His clothes were right next to him and appeared to be heavily torn.

According to the radio clock on the night-table it was currently 3:00am. Light could not clearly recall the last several hours. His head was throbbing, he felt sick to stomach and he was shivering as he sweated profusely. Yet he felt oddly numb; like he was somehow disconnected from himself.

Shrugging on his ruined clothes, Light stumbled his way out of the building; not truly comprehending his surroundings. The cold night air seemed to awaken his senses somewhat. He decided he needed to get back home; where it's safe.

Nothing memorable occurs during the walk back. Entering the front door he manages not to run into any of his family members; likely Sayu was asleep or his father not home.

Good, thought Light. I don't want anyone seeing me like this.

Gripping the railing harshly, Light forces himself up the stairs towards his room. He then crawls into bed; not even bothering to remove those damn apple cores. Light lays there on top of the bed covers, eyes wide open for several minutes. Then violent sobs wracked his bruised, damaged body. He did his best to muffle their sounds as tears flowed down his face. Even after he manages to drift off into a fitful sleep, the tears don't stop.


	7. Chapter 7 Secrets & Tennis

The next morning, Light has to force himself out of bed. He doesn't truly understand what happened last night. He remembers everything clearly up until drinking the blue cocktail from then on his memories felt oddly foggy, though he still remembered. Misa had received a phone call from… someone. She had then left him with the director of some TV station. The man had then taken him upstairs and…

Rushing to the bathroom, Light had emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. There wasn't much to throw up so he ended up mostly dry heaving. As the realization of last night's events hit, Light found himself curling into himself around the toilet while he cried. He didn't move from his position on the floor until after he felt that he was done both crying and vomiting.

Standing in front of the sink, Light looked into the mirror. His eyes were red and swollen; his make-up from last night had run and was now flaking. Looking down he saw that his clothes were ripped in several areas as well as being wrinkled. He had truly loved these clothes mere hours ago and now he hated them with a passion.

I need to get clean, thought Light. I have to at least look as though I'm still perfect.

Light then quickly stripped down with rough, shaky movements before hopping in the shower. He scrubbed at his skin thoroughly with scalding hot water; he felt so disgusting. He wanted that feeling to go away, but he knew it'd be a long time before it did; if it did.

Getting out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around himself and picked up his dirty clothes before head back up to his room. He cached the clothes into the back of his closet; he wanted to burn them, but he couldn't exactly do that discretely. He didn't have any plans to tell anyone; his father would be so displeased with him if he knew.

He had a little more than an hour before he was expected at school. For the first time in his life, Light wanted to skip school. Unfortunately, today that wasn't an option; it was the To-Oh entrance exams. So now he had to go take his exam and pretend everything was alright.

Using some eye-drops to reduce the redness and swelling around his eyes, Light headed down for breakfast. Sayu was already half-way through her toast and grapefruit. He could tell that she was wearing that perfume Misa had given her; he really didn't like the smell, which was some strange combination grapes and cinnamon oatmeal.

"Good morning, Sayu," said Light, forcing a smile. "I can't stay for long or else I'll be late for the exams."

"Aren't you going eat first?" asked Sayu, through a mouthful of toast.

"I'm not hungry," replied Light. And that was the truth; he felt too sick to his stomach to be hungry.

"Here," said Sayu, handing him a quarter of her unfinished grapefruit half. "Eat that at least."

Light decided to oblige her request, forcing down that little bit of food, which settled uneasily in his stomach. Sayu kept looking at him with poorly concealed sympathy. He knew he should ask what was bothering her, but he honestly didn't have the emotional energy to deal with her problems right now. Light took the awkward silence as a cue to leave.

Twenty minutes later, Light walked on the university campus towards room designated for the entrance exams. They weren't allowed to enter the room immediately, so he was forced to mingle with the rest of his classmates. Not that he had to talk much, since the only thing that was on everyone's mind had nothing to do with the exams.

It was amazing how everyone was so fixated on the Kira murders; his school-mates were lauding him as a hero. Light himself considered Kira to be a well-intentioned vigilante when he was only murdering murderers and rapists, but then he had begun to murder petty criminals and law enforcement officers. That was when Kira became an irredeemable monster, though Light's father would argue he must have always been an irredeemable monster.

Light was seriously worried about his father's safety. I should be working on the case with him like he promised, thought Light bitterly. But no, I instead I'm a suspect. Aren't they at least going to do a follow-up?

The overseer of the exams finally announced that they may enter sit down at their pre-assigned seat; if Light was truly paying attention he may found the overseer to have quite the resemblance Shōko Maki. The exam sheets were already laid out on the desks. Light had sat down at his assign seat and prepared to ace this damn test as soon as the overseer signaled for them to begin.

"You have sixty-five minutes to complete the test; your time begins now," instructed the teacher, standing at the front of the large classroom. Nine minutes in Light had completed three pages of the test with ease and was working on the fourth.

"Student 162, please sit normally," reprimanded the teacher.

Light took a moment to discreetly look back at the other students. And sure enough, a few rows back, there was student 162. He was a fairly tall individual with eerily pale skin and dark hair. He was sitting in what looked to be a rather uncomfortable position; both his feet were on the seat in an almost crouching position with his legs touching his chest and his shoulders hunched. As the other adolescence man reluctantly adjusted his sitting position, he and Light briefly made eye-contact.

Those dark eyes had studied him in a way that made Light feel nervous. He immediately went back to completing the test and tried to ignore the eyes that would occasionally look up to stare at him. Luckily, after twenty-six minutes Light was finished. He immediately handed in his exam and nearly bolted out of the classroom. L followed mere moments afterward.

/Six Days Later/

It was time for the entrance celebration to begin. The school officials, and new students along with their parents were all gathered in the auditorium. Everyone was dressed in what could be considered business attire; all except student 162. He was wearing a baggy, long-sleeved, white shirt with a pair of ripped jeans.

Light was starting to feel a little bit unnerved by this strange man; he had been consistently looking over at him. Light honestly wouldn't like this at the best of time, but since the incident at the nightclub he'd become more irritable and defensive. After finishing the entrance exams the previous week he had called Misa and told her to cancel any meetings/interviews with Sakura TV; he may not love the girl, but he didn't want to chance her getting violated.

As Light sat there trying to remain calm student 162 wouldn't stop staring. Why was this causing him to feel scared; threatened? Light wasn't sure whether those feelings were validated.

Light hated having to question his own thoughts, but he knew he wasn't handling things well. He was much more emotionally sensitive and had a noticeable aversion to touch. He had nearly hit his sister the other day when she had snuck on him while he was cooking breakfast to hug him. Light also wasn't sleeping well and when he did sleep he was plagued by nightmares, and even more recently, sleepwalking; it was beginning to worry him, since the other night he had awoke in the neighbor's yard.

_Flashback; Last Night _

_Start of Light's Dream _

_Light knew he was in a dream; still even knowing that did nothing to help him control it. The dream started him waking up in the Kasumigaseki water fountain. He had then immediately encountered some kind of deform monster; it was about seven ft. tall, had the head of a lioness with the teeth and ears of a donkey, the body was hairy and the feet were like that of a bird's with extremely sharp talons. The creature also had wings and was currently flying after him with a set of engraved hand-cuffs clutch in one of its talons. _

_Running away as fast as he could Light was certain after several hours of not seeing the creature that it had lost track of him. Slowing down he took a moment to observe his surroundings; he was at the Shibuya crosswalk. There were no people just shadows of them. It was night-time, but everything seemed to glow with bright colours; the sky was a deep purple, the buildings neon orange, and even Light's hair had turn a vivid candy red. He was also wear a set of fox ears. _

_Suddenly a blue and white coloured panda approached him. The panda was 5' 10" in height (not including the ears) and was wearing a white sweater (pooh bear style). _

_ "__If want to continue play this game you better follow me," said the panda before grabbing Light's hand and heading east. "I want you to observe something for me." _

_As they were running their surroundings began to fall apart before reforming into an entire different location. Light only had enough time to read the address before pulled inside by some unknown source. _

_The panda hadn't fallen like he did, so he was probably still up on the surface. There were more moving shadows down here and they appeared to be performing specific tasks; moving things around, sitting at a computer, etc. Lounging on the couch was a young teenager; he was probably about fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. The teenager was deformed in a similar manner that Light was, except he had a wolf's snout instead of fox ears. _

_The teen was short in height and had shoulder length blond hair; Sayu would probably say he was cute in an effeminate sort of way. As Light focused his attention on the teen certain other aspects of the dream became clearer, but were still duller in colour then everything else. Some instinct was telling Light these were parts of Mello's subconscious; Light was confused by that since he had no clue who the hell Mello was. _

_ "__That thing burnt Neylon's eyes out," muttered Mello, looking as though he was in deep thought as he took a bite of chocolate. "Matt, what are your thoughts about what happened?" _

_Light then watched as one of the shadows became more solid and filled with colours. Matt appeared to be a rather ordinary boy, which wasere obscured from view by the goggles he was wearing. _

_ "__Well, Mello. For starters, I don't think people should read aloud from books written in Latin," said Matt, only half-joking as he lit a cigarette. "Especially those that are bound in human skin." _

_ "__That not what I meant," complained Mello, as he propped one of his legs up on the couch. "I questioned BB before he escaped cell. He said that shinigami are real and that he and L were sired by one. BB also said that he briefly encountered one prior to becoming a murderer, and told things about rule 39, shinigami eyes and the Death Note," Mello paused, scooted closer to Matt. "The mention of shinigami caught my attention; it was in a hidden message Kira sent L. And a notebook of death sounds like the only reasonable murder weapon given the situation. But I don't think we have the right book; it nothing like how BB described." _

_ "__No, instead we manage to find the Necronicon," teased Matt, taking deep drag off his cigarette. _

_Mello picked the book in question up off the coffee table. The title read 'Libro Incantationem' , which was 'Book of Enchantments' when translated into English from Latin. Light was confused; these men searching for a killer notebook was strange enough, but them finding the wrong one and it causing grievous harm as well. Really, how many supernatural beings and objects does his imagination think there are out in the world? _

_Of course, this is just a dream, Light reminded himself. These events don't have to obey any sort of reality. _

_Taking a step closer Light tripped over some cables. The noise alerted the others to his presence. _

_ "__Who's there?" shouted Mello, teeth bared. _

_ "__Hi, I'm Light," greeted Light, emerging from the shadows. He wasn't really worried, he was in a dream after all, but this Mello fellow was kind of scary. He was also curious on what else his mind could conjure up. _

_Matt disappeared back into shadow as soon as Mello's attention diverted from him to Light; Light took a moment to absorb the weirdness that was dream logic. Mello seemed to be evaluating him with eyes that were filled with suspicion and bafflement. _

_ "__How did you break in? Who sent you?" asked Mello, in rapid succession before eying his ears and continued with. "Where did you even come from?" _

_ "__I fell asleep, a panda, and Japan," answered Light, bluntly. Light then continued to explain with a little annoyance at Mello, who eyed him with complete disbelief. "You certainly seem to like rationalizing things especially since you're nothing but a manifestation of my imagination. If you refuse to believe this is a dream then you may what to look at your face." _

_ "__Wha-" started Mello as he felt his face, which began to contort in horror. "How? It's not that time of the month yet." _

_Before Light could ask 'what the hell does that mean', an oddly concerned looking shadow, that was (used to be) Matt, gently shook Mello's shoulder. At that moment the dream world appeared to shatter before disappearing with a blinding white light. _

_End of Light's Dream _

_Light briefly felt as though he falling before waking abruptly in a cold sweat. He let out a scream of pain; he didn't understand why he was in pain, but it felt as though a piece of him had been ripped out and then placed back in him haphazardly. The pain disappeared quickly though and left him wondering if he just imagined it. _

_Then when he observed his surrounding he realized he was in his room anymore. He was sitting in the back garden of his neighbor's house in nothing but his underwear; this was actually how he gone to bed, so that part wasn't a huge shock, it was just embarrassing. _

_Light realized that he must have been sleepwalking. Given the extremely upsetting and stressful circumstances he's been going through, sleepwalking didn't really come as a huge surprise either. _

_End Flashback _

Light released an irritated groan. He already had enough problems, he didn't need to add sleep issues to all the other's that seemed to be exponentially growing.

The principal's voice coming out from the overhead speakers broke Light out of his troubled thoughts as he tried to concentrate on the ceremony.

"For this year's To-Oh freshman commencement ceremony, we will be having two freshman representatives. On the entrance examinations, both of them had achieved perfect scores. And so, if you could come to the stage as your name is called, freshman representatives; Yagami Light and Ryuuga Hideki," announced the principal. Afterwards the noise level in auditorium went up drastically. The crowds were gossiping amongst themselves. Some were questioning the strangeness of one person achieving a perfect score let alone two. But most were questioning student 162's name, it was same name as the pop idol soon to be movie. Everyone was wondering if the real Hideki Ryuuga had managed to get into To-Oh University.

That last snippet of gossip almost made him laugh and it had nothing to do with Hideki's perceived stupidity; the man was no genius, but he had a good level of common sense. No, the humour of the situation was derived by the fact that Light had met Hideki and student 162 looked nothing like him. Regardless, it seemed that things like appearances weren't enough to deter the rumour mill.

Light and 'Hideki Ryuuga' walked up onto the stage. Before making their respective speeches the other boy moved very close to Light. It made Light feel a bit uneasy; there was something strange going on here. 'Hideki' leaned in so close to Light's ear, he could feel the man's warm breath hitting the side of his neck. The sensation sending shivers down his spine.

"I am L," whispered 'Hideki' or rather 'L'. Was this really the world's greatest detective? Light wondered.

Light had no way of knowing whether this young man was lying or not. But if he is who he says he is then why is he here? thought Light, feeling confused. Does he think I'm Kira?

And if he isn't who he says he is? Light wondered. Then he might be Kira trying to extract information from the son of the NPA police chief.

As Light pondered the new information, 'L' walked past him and up to the microphone and began his speech.

It was a few hours later that Light was in the tennis court, practicing. Or at least that's what his excuse was; he felt like he had all this excess energy and anxiety that he needed to burn off. Sweat was pouring off him and his muscles were screaming for him to stop. Yamamoto had agreed to practice with him, but had given up all too soon.

"Nothing like a good tennis match to make friends, is there?" asked 'L', as he entered the court, gripping the racket oddly; by the very end with only his finger-tips. "I hear that you are rather good the sport, Light-kun. Personally, I was once the junior champion in England."

Light remained silent. He really didn't know what to think of this guy. He only knew that he should be very weary and very careful until all the facts were in.

"But even with that information," continued 'L', smugly. "You won't be able to find my real name."

"You said your name is 'L'," explained Light, bouncing the ball a few times before serving. "Fine it's 'L'. Whether you're the famous detective or not remains to be seen."

The game went several on several minutes before anyone managed to score. It was 'L' who had scored that first point.

"How about a little wager, Light-kun?" asked 'L', attempting a smile he probably shouldn't have attempted; oddly enough the semi-creepy smile made him feel a bit more relaxed. "If I win you have to do me a favour, if you win I have to do the same."

"Alright then," agreed Light, preparing for 'L's' returning serve. "I'm ready, 'L'."

Truthfully, the game had started of innocently enough, but then it got rough. Light was fueling all his anger into the game and 'L' was matching his aggression. There was a lot of movement and heavy hits and no breaks.

Their brutal game had drawn a sizeable crowd, some of whom had formed their own gambling rings. It seemed as though 'Hideki Ryuuga', 'L's' apparent student alias, had an awful lot of fans. Some of the girls were even gushing over how cute he was; and now that Light took an opportunity to really look at the man objectively he actually couldn't really deny that man rather good-looking in an eerie sort of way.

Light had then roughly shook his head in an attempt to clear it; this 'L' person is a potential murderer and if he isn't then he thought Light was. Well, at least he didn't seem to be a rapist, thought Light. A spike of anger ran through him at the memory of that event; it was not even a week ago. This caused him to fuck up and allowed 'L' score two points, but then as he regained focus he managed to catch back up with only a bit of difficulty.

It was finally the last round of the game and it was 'L's' serve. Suddenly a thought came to Light; he figured he could likely glean more information from hearing the sort of favour 'L' would request than he could doing anything else. Now all he had to do was lose; still missing on the first swing wounded his pride a little, but he didn't want to risk possibly winning now that he had a plan.

"So, Hideki, what is the favour that I must grant?" asked Light, using 'L's' student alias since they were still surrounded by other students.

"Well, how about you clean-up first," requested 'L', tilting head an awkward angle. "Because quite frankly, Light-kun, you stink."

"Ohhhhhh," said some of the surrounding students that had heard that. Then there was that one kid that had yelled, "Burn!" like he was Michael Kelso from That 70's Show. Light had to fight the urge to roll his eyes; unfortunately that was a battle he didn't stand a chance in.

"Fine," agreed Light, not really taking 'L's' comment to heart too much. "We can continue our discussion in the locker room."

"Alright then," replied 'L', a hint of surprise by the lack of offense towards his insult; Kira is supposed to be very childish and hates losing. So why isn't he upset over the defeat? Or the insult following his defeat?


	8. Chapter 8 I Married A Kitsune

After Light had left 'L' out in the locker room, he entered the showering area. The steady stream of hot water had just begun to relax his tense, aching muscles. The water felt so good; Light found himself getting lost in the calming sensation.

'L' had taken the opportunity to catch Light by surprise as he started the shower next to his. He smirked as the teenager jumped; L had then grown concerned as an expression, that was both haunted and very scared, briefly crossed the younger boy's face. Something was very wrong here, but he didn't have the time to analyze it too thoroughly. He had to gather information that would indicate Light as a viable lead in the Kira case.

"I'm still alive," said 'L', looking over the partition at him.

Damn, thought Light. The guy kind of resembles a character from Ju-On. What with his strange posture, pale skin, and dark under-eye circles. It was actually kind of cute.

"That's always good," replied Light, deadpan as he tried focus on washing himself.

"You know?" asked 'L', smiling.

Light stared at 'L' for a few moments, frowning in confusion. Then it dawned on him that if this was the real L then he thought Light was Kira and that he'd use Hideki Ryuuga's name to somehow kill him therefore killing the real Hideki; whom Light was sure was still alive. So L thought Light, as Kira, had already seen through the ruse.

"That you're not Hideki Ryuuga," replied Light, bowing his head as he positioned it under the spray of the water, thoroughly soaking his hair. It was hard putting his guard down, but he didn't want to seem suspicious; L thought he was Kira and there was no knowing what damage he could inflict on his reputation or his relationships with his family. "I think everyone knows that."

L chuckled at Light's bluntness. The auburn-haired teenager hadn't denied being Kira and even had the gull to criticize his plan.

"Light-kun… you don't mind if I call you Light-kun?" asked L. Light tilted his head giving L a look of confusion. "It's just if I called you Yagami-san, it would be the same as what I call your father."

"Oh… my father is working with you? I didn't know that," replied Light, feigning ignorance on the off-chance that L wasn't who he seemed; there was nothing wrong with being properly paranoid. "Well, you can call me whatever you want."

"Then how about Kira?" accused L, he laughed when Light glared at him. "It's a joke."

"No," replied Light, turning off the shower and moving away from L. "It isn't."

"Yagami-san says many good things about you; I wanted to meet you to see what kind of person you were," explained L, as he followed Light uncomfortably close. "Now I know."

"Hmm," replied Light, non-committedly as he grabbed a towel to dry off with; wrapping it around his waist he walked back into the locker room.

"But the truth is," continued L, as Light changed into a clean set of clothes. "I still suspect you of being Kira."

"I already expected that," replied Light, honestly. "So what's the favour you wanted from me?"

"Be my friend," answered L, as he invaded Light's personal space again; so close, their noses were almost touching.

The close proximity along with the unexpected request caused a spike of anxiety to run through Light's bones. Light did his best to suppress those feelings that were screaming at him to fight or flee. He took in a deep, steadying breath through his nostrils. A smell then caught his attention; it was Sayu's perfume. Leaning forwards Light sniffed L's neck.

Why was the scent of Sayu's perfume on L? Light wondered, becoming increasingly worried. Was L using her as leverage on him?

"I-I need t-to go now," stammered Light, as he pushed L away with a little too much force. He then hurriedly left; L stood there momentarily perplexed by his odd behaviour. As the door was closing Light had then called back in a placating tone. "We'll see each other some other time."

The rest of the task force were at headquarters; L had apparently purchased the entire apartment complex for them to use. They had listened as L checked in with them through the radio. The entire scenario that had occurred sounded very strange and suspicious. Soichiro had grown steadily more worried about his son; something was seriously off about him. And Soichiro had an idea of what it likely was.

_Flashback; Sixteen Years Ago _

_Soichiro was on his way home from work. He had just been promoted to detective and he could hardly wait to break the good news to his loving wife. He met her one evening on a vast moor and had married her immediately. They had been happily married for two years and had just recently started a family together. _

_Before arriving home Soichiro had stopped off at the pet store and purchased a young husky. His wife, Kuzunoha, had repeatedly requested that they have a pup. She hadn't mentioned it since Light's birth, but Soichiro remembered and now that he was going to be working longer hours he thought that she could use a loyal companion. _

_Walking through the door, Soichiro only had to wait a couple of seconds before his wife greeted him. Kuzunoha was an exceptionally dutiful wife, always managed to maintain an absolutely spotless house-hold, cooked the most delicious meals, and had a pleasantly cheerful demeanor. She was also very beautiful; with long auburn hair, a small, narrow nose, bright amber-coloured eyes, and flawless skin. These were features that she had also passed down to their son. _

_ "__I'm glad your home safe," said Kuzunoha, smiling as she rubbed her nose against Soichiro's. _

_ "__I have some great news," said Soichiro, as he led her outside. "But first I have a present for you." _

_Soichiro took her toward the front yard where he had tied the dog's leash to one of the fence posts. The dog, which had been calm only a few minutes ago, had gone berserk. _

_ "__Get rid of it," begged Kuzunoha, scared. "Kill it if you have to." _

_Before Soichiro could do anything the dog had slipped his collar and began attacking Kuzunoha furiously. Kuzunoha's hands were cut up horribly as she tried to keep the dog away from her throat. Just as Soichiro managed to pull the dog off of her that Kuzunoha' form had changed into that of a fox. She had then leaped over the fence and fled. Soichiro had stood there in shock for several minutes. _

_I married a kitsune; I had a fox-wife, thought Soichiro. Well, I don't care. She's mother of my child and I love her. _

_Soichiro had given away the dog to one of her co-workers and had filed a missing person's report. He had also gone out every night calling for her to come home. _

_It wasn't until several months later that Kuzunoha had reappeared. She was sitting by the bedroom window waiting for him. _

_ "__Soichiro," greeted Kuzunoha, with a sad smile. "I can't stay." _

_ "__Why?" asked Soichiro, as he wrapped his arms around his estranged wife. _

_ "__Inari wants me to come back home," replied Kuzunoha, as she curled into her husband's embrace. "It's too dangerous for me here." _

_ "__Wait. Inari?" questioned Soichiro, confused. "Isn't that the name of some sort of food goddess?" _

_ "__Inari is the Shinto goddess of agriculture and industry," elaborated Kuzunoha, quietly. "And yes, she is that goddess and I am one of her messengers." _

_ "__So kitsunes exists, Inari exists," stated Soichiro, numbly before asking. "What else is out there?" _

_ "__Everything, every creature you can think of exists," replied Kuzunoha. "Though some of them may differ significantly from their legends." _

_ "__So why is Inari taking you away from me?" _

_ "__Because Lamashtu has been alerted to my presence here. She plans on taking me to Kur, where she'll torture me," answered Kuzunoha, pulling away from her husband's embrace; Soichiro could now see the fear in her eyes. "The pain will feed her and her dying realm. She loves trickster spirits; especially the kitsune. Maybe it's because we don't break easily and she can feed them indefinitely. Most other creatures will eventually die or disintegrate; the kitsune can't," Kuzunoha paused briefly as she tried to regain her composure. "I've seen the results of the few that could escape; it isn't pretty and no one has ever truly recovered from it. I am not going to risk my safety by staying here. I can't and I'm sorry." _

_ "__Don't apologize," said Soichiro, trying to be comforting. "I understand. I don't want to lose you, but…" _

_Soichiro couldn't even finish that statement. He wanted to be selfish and ask her to stay, but this was his fault; he had accidentally revealed her true identity. This shouldn't have happened; she was his and he was hers, and they were supposed to live happily ever after. _

_"__Will you spend one last night with me?" asked Soichiro, voice pleading. He just wanted to sleep next to her and hold her close while pretending this wouldn't be the last time. _

_ "__I'd like that," answered Kuzunoha, as she led him to the bed. _

_Soichiro and Kuzunoha laid together just curled around one another, holding each other tightly. Hours passed without either of them going to sleep or even so much as closing their eyes. Night would so be over and Kuzunoha would be gone; Soichiro didn't want miss a single moment of the time he had left with her. _

_"__Um, Soichiro," said Kuzunoha, getting her husband's attention. "Will you continue to care for our son when I'm gone? Even if he takes after me." _

_Kuzunoha seemed worried. Soichiro was almost offended, but her concern was understandable. She was leaving, he wasn't home often and their son was only one year old. And if Soichiro was prejudice against kitsunes then Light would be in a very vulnerable position if he took after his mother. _

_"__Of course, I will," promised Soichiro. _

_End Flashback _

Soichiro had tried his best to be there for his son and would oftentimes fail. There were many times in which he just couldn't understand Light; he believed even Kuzunoha would have difficulty in that regard. Luckily, he had met Sachiko the following year and she had been so supportive. She had never once called him crazy or considered Light to be a monster. She was much more helpful than Soichiro's own family had been.

Immediately after Kuzunoha had left him, Soichiro had explained what had happened to his family. To his shock no one had been surprised, apparently this was a fairly common occurrence in their family; not marrying Kitsunes necessarily, just encounters with the supernatural in general. Most of them were brief encounters with creatures such as the bakeneko, ōmukade, jorōgumo, and kasa-obake. That last one was an isolated incident involving his aunt; it still left Soichiro wondering how a paper umbrella demon manages to kill a person. It was understandable how his family was so paranoid, but their coldness toward his son still wasn't forgivable in his eyes.

A majority of his relatives, including his mother and brother, had insisted that he give up Light for adoption; that he would bring him nothing but misery and misfortune. It was after they had tried to kill Light that he had cut ties with them permanently. Sayu was only seven months old at the time and therefore didn't remember what she saw; sadly, Light did remember.

Soichiro knew Light didn't trust him; the kid had even had an alert system set-up in his room. It took L's keen observational to not be caught setting up the cameras in the Yagami household five days ago; three forms of detection to reset. A piece of paper, the position of the door handle, and a pencil lead.

"Chief, your son is a little strange," said Aizawa, after listening to L's report. "What do you think is going on in that kid's head?"

"Well, Ryuzaki wasn't acting exactly normal," replied Matsuda, coming to the chief's defense; Soichiro was grateful, even though he didn't show it. "Light was probably on the defensive."

"He may have also been skeptical of Ryuzaki's claims of being L," speculated Soichiro, quietly; he had caught the part where Light claimed uncertainty on who was on the Kira case even though he most certainly knew of Soichiro and Matsuda. "He was playing ignorant of my involvement on the Kira investigation, incase, on the off chance, that Ryuzaki was Kira."

"That's a good counter-point, Mr. Asahi," replied L, his voice coming out over the speaker. "Given the circumstances, your son would be smart to be wary of my claims. And even though his behaviour was strange it doesn't necessarily indicate he's Kira. What's happening with the observations on Mikami, Takada, and Kagami?"

The task force had decided to follow Naomi Misora's suggestions and investigate those that were on the bus. L had decided to bring Misora onto the case as well. So while L was observing Light, Misora was doing the same with Takada, Mogi with Mikami, and Ukita with Kagami.

"Mogi reported that Mikami is a dedicated prosecutor. He seems to possess a rigid sense of justice and is not very compassionate. Outside of work he's not very social; the only exception to this would be the occasional phone call with Takada," stated Aizawa, summing up the most recent paperwork. "Misora reported that when Takada was taking her entrance exams with Kagami and Light she mentioned to being pro-Kira. She had also briefly dated Light about four months previously. Ukita reported that Kagami seemed more timid, but also favoured Kira as well."

"It appears as though there's a reasonable amount of suspicion for three of our four suspects," replied L, remembering the after a few moments deliberation. He remembered running into Yuri Kagami a few times while he was observing Light; she definitely had a crush on Light, along with a majority of the student body. He'd also learned that she was a compassionate and easily flustered person that was a very poor liar and had a tendency to give into peer pressure; he was ninety percent positive she wasn't pro-Kira and only said that because it's the popular choice. "Tell Okita to come back to headquarters. Then inform Maki, and Moji to make contact with their respective suspect; question them thoroughly and remember to use your false names. Afterwards, watch what they do and make sure not to get caught. I'm going to do the same with Light."

"Alright," agreed Soichiro, as Aizawa called in L's new instructions.

Soichiro was feeling so much fear and stress coursing through him; he could swear that his hair was getting greyer. Light was likely a kitsune, but was he monster? He couldn't recall anything in myths that would allow him to murder the way Kira does; that made Soichiro feel a bit better. Still even if Light is innocent, Soichiro doesn't know how long he could hide Light's heritage. These murders called for thorough investigation and Light was already displaying some unusual behaviors that were calling attention to his vulpine nature.

"Are we just going to ignore how a simple practice match turned into a full out tennis game complete with an empire and a line judge?" asked Ide, truly puzzled. "How does that happen?"

"SACHIKO! Where are you going?!" cried Kuzunoha, looking at her oldest and dearest friend with fear in her eyes. "You have to stay here. Where it's safe?"

"You want me to run and cower in the Spiritual Realm. You want me to abandon my children," said Sachiko, crossing arms, an angry expression darkening her features. "I'm not like you."

"Fine, go back to your family," said Kuzunoha, through clenched teeth. "Still it won't do anyone any good when you cease to exist. Lamashtu may not be a threat to you, but the shinigami are. Going back presents a very real danger to you; you know that if a bakeneko or nekomata dies outside of the spiritual realm their souls are lost forever."

"I know there's a risk, but my children still need me," replied Sachiko, more gently as she realized that she was being a little harsh on the woman that was like a sister to her. Truth be told, Sachiko was scared too, but she couldn't handle being parted from her loved ones for so long. They needed her and she needed them.

"I still need you though and so does your mother. Do you think Memine wants to see her only kitten die?" retorted Kuzunoha, angrily. "Don't you realize that our husband being a police chief puts you in danger? Kira is now targeting those on either side of the law; he could go after you due to your association with someone who opposes him. Don't you understand" Sachiko could hear the poorly concealed pain and fear that breaking her voice. "It's not like leaving was my choice, Inari made-"

"Inari didn't make you do anything; she doesn't care what happens to you to be honest. She just replaces the kitsune that go missing with the nogitsune," interrupted Sachiko, not letting Kuzunoha feed her any bullshit excuses. "You made a choice and it was to run. And it wasn't entirely about the demon chasing you, was it?"

A look of sadness and shame crossed Kuzunoha's delicate features; features that reminded her so much of her Light. As both a friend and mother Sachiko was compelled to comfort her. Hugging her sister close to her chest, Sachiko felt Kuzunoha's tears soaking her shirt. They sat like this for several minutes before Sachiko pulled away.

"You were afraid Soichiro was going hate you eventually for being what you are," said Sachiko, not allowing Kuzunoha to continue lying to herself; yes, she was afraid of Lamashtu, but that wasn't the only thing she feared. "It's not fair that the kitsune get barred from the human realm and a majority of the spiritual realm for the lifespan of the lover that rejected them. Being restricted Inari's section of the realm is a horrible fate."

"I wish that was the only problem," whispered Kuzunoha, voice choked with tears. "Inari created us and now she wants to get rid of us. Lamashtu is incapable of entering parts the spiritual realm without permission of the sector's leader. Inari gives Lamashtu permission to enter her section as long as she only hunts the kitsune. Why does she hate us, Sachiko?"

Sachiko didn't know how to answer this; she didn't know what Kuzunoha wanted to hear. Kuzunoha already knew how Inari created the kitsune during a violent, savage time, a time of war, in order to protect Japan and its warriors. Inari had initially created them very powerful beings (even more powerful than she was), but without free-will. This had proven to be a disastrous, since Inari couldn't control them all and as result had them make mistakes that had cost many people their lives. She had then made the decision to give the kitsune free-will, but before she did she weaken their abilities so that they could never surpass her; Inari had observed what happened to Cronus and the other titans when Zeus and the other first generation gods took over.

Unfortunately for Inari, the kitsune still had those powers deep down and the next generation of kitsune had been able to begin unlocking them by the time 14th century arrived. Inari had realized her mistake, but do anything about except kill off the first kitsune generation. The second generation couldn't die, but could be restrained under certain conditions; it required enchanted shackles, an afterlife realm, and severe heart-break. Kitsunes were at their weakest when their loved ones had left them and that was why they always left first or simply refused to love anyone.

The majority of kitsunes truly understood the meaning of fate worse than death due to their dealings with Inari. It was very depressing over how many of the kitsunes were totally devoted to her and she did nothing but give them away to other pantheons where they were either slaves or prisoners.

"There is no good reason for her hate and truthfully you deserve better than her," said Sachiko, trying to provide her friend as much comfort as she could before leaving. "And I'm sorry, but I do have to go back home. I came here with you, because I was frightened; but I now realized that's no excuse for abandoning my babies. Sayu may not come into her bakeneko heritage, but Light is definitely becoming a kitsune. He's going to need guidance."

"He is he going to need you," admitted Kuzunoha, though there was air of regret in voice; Sachiko could almost hear the unsaid words of 'he would have needed me if things were different'. She then looked up at her with a watery smile. "Are we still friends?"

"Of course, we are," replied Sachiko, reassuringly. "That's not ever going to change."


	9. Chapter 9 Friendships & Bracelets

After leaving locker-rooms Light immediately checked his phone; Sayu seemed to be in Shibuya's shopping district; likely hanging out with her friends. Still he called Sayu's cell-phone to make sure she was safe. He began to panic when his little sister didn't pick up right away; it took several rings before she answered.

"What's up, Light?" greeted Sayu, cheerfully; Light could hear her friends giggling in the background. She probably had him on speaker phone; actually considering the headache that was beginning to form behind his temples, he decided to do the same thing.

"Nothing really, just checking up on you," replied Light, stopping under the shade of a sycamore tree. "Have you encounter anyone who was acting strangely? Or who simply made you feel uncomfortable?"

"Well, no one immediately comes to mind… Oh, there was that student 'Hideki Ryuga'," replied Sayu, laughing; Light was almost certain that she was using the air quotes gesture. "He was quite strange. I met him after the entrance ceremony; he seemed lonely, so I gave him a hug and talked with him for a bit."

"That's all?" asked Light, relieved. And a little embarrassed; realizing only now that he was acting way too anxious to be considered normal. "Well, that explains why I could smell your perfume on him."

"Wait! You sniffed him? What were you two doing?!" asked Sayu, shocked. "Actually, hold for a sec," there was a pause as she checked an app on her phone. "And why you are leaving the To-Oh campus just now?"

"'Ryuuga-san' and I had a tennis match," explained Light, feeling even more embarrassed than before, but for different reasons. "He won. Apparently, he was once junior champion back in England."

"He was?" asked Sayu, so perplexed that Light had to stifle laugh. "Looking the way he does, I wouldn't have thought… Are you sure?"

"That's what he told me so… no; I'm not sure," replied Light, grinning when Sayu laughed. "But he is pretty talented both academically and athletically."

"So do like him? Are you two like… yaoi?" asked Sayu suddenly, causing Light to choke. "Because I'm like totally cool with that as long as you're happy. So are you uke or se-"

"Bye, Sayu," interrupted Light, as he ended the call. His face begun to heat up with embarrassment.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in mild irritation, Light was about to resume walking when suddenly someone grabbed his arm. Turning around he saw L perched precariously on a park bench.

"Hmm… So that fit you threw was all due to perfume and being an overprotective brother. Interesting," said L, with a thoughtful look. Light suddenly click into how bizarre behaviour was. This wouldn't be the first time his better than average senses and quick reflexes had gotten him in trouble; there was a reason he had considered quitting tennis back in junior high. "So Light-kun, are we friends?"

"Yeah, sure," answered Light, casually. He speculated that L wanted to question him, so he may as well take some semblance of control while it was still an option. "But before you proceed in questioning me, can you arrange for someone I know that's on the task force to confirm your identity?"

"Yes, I can," replied L, as he contacted headquarters on his cell-phone.

"What's the situation, Ryuzaki?" asked Aizawa, frowning in concern; it has only been eleven minutes, since his last report. What could have happened in that amount of time?

"Can you put Yonjuro Asahi on the phone?" requested L, ignoring Aizawa's question. There was a series of muffled mutterings before Soichiro's voice came over the phone.

"What's going on, Ryuzaki?"

"I need you to explain a few things for Light-kun here," replied L, as he watched Light waiting patiently.

"What the hell kind of game are you playing at?" asked Soichiro, his voice was noticeably distorted with anger. As stubborn as the chief may be on his values and ideas of justice, he was very much a papa wolf; L actually felt sympathetic towards the man, since his son was likely Kira.

"I'm handing the phone over now," warned L, as he gave his cell-phone over to Light.

"Light?" asked Soichiro, when Light didn't say anything immediately. Hearing his father's voice had eased Light's remaining fear; this alone confirmed L's claims.

"Hi, Dad," greeted Light, feeling a load of tension leave the muscles in his shoulders. "So the 'Ryuuga-san' here is really L."

"Yes, he is," confirmed Soichiro, before gently requesting his son's co-operation. "L will likely want to ask you some questions. Please, be forthcoming and honest with your answers."

"I will. Thanks, Dad. Bye," replied Light, hanging up and giving L his phone back. "Do want to go get a coffee together?"

"I don't like coffee," argued L, noting how Light's eyes briefly gleamed red. Frown deepening in concentration, L remembered Beyond Birthday's claims of possessing shinigami eyes; they were red. And then there were the Kira suicide notes that mentioned shinigamis in a hidden message; they love apples and Light's room was almost constantly littered with pieces of apple.

Frustrated, Light wondered if L was being difficult on purpose while he was forced to be co-operative if he wanted to prove his innocent.

"Really? I'd thought a guy like you would thrive off it," teased Light, indicating the dark under-eye circles. "Well, I'm sure any café would have a variety of beverages to order from. Come on."

L had then hopped off the bench and began walking beside him. Light decided to head towards his favorite coffee shop in Aoyama.

"So why do you and your sister have trackers on one other?" asked L, a genuine hint of curiosity entering his tone.

"Well, that's sort of difficult question to answer," muttered Light, feeling overwhelmed.

"Try," requested L, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. Light briefly wondered if he was being that obvious.

"Alright…"

_Flashback; Three and a Half Months Ago _

_Light had just gotten home from school and was getting ready for cram school. Heading downstairs he came across his mother and sister watching the news. He was absent-mindedly listening in. _

_ "__The same assailant who had attacked six people at a busy shopping district in Shibuya yesterday has struck again," announced a reporter, standing in front of a nearby day-care centre. "Taking ten people hostage at this day-care centre; his captives include both children and teachers along with two police officers. The police have now identified the suspect as forty-two year old, Kuro Otoharada, currently unemployed." _

_Light remembered his father mentioning that he was going to that same day-care for a short educational demonstration. And judging by Sachiko and Sayu's expressions they remembered that conversation as well. Light could feel his chest tighten with anxiety as he sat down next to Sayu. His father had been the one to arrest Otoharada ten years prior, so Soichiro life was at greater risk than anyone else's. _

_Coming to a decision Light opened his phone and connected to the internet. He searched up the Kira webpage that the vigilante was known to be frequenting this week. He typed 'Kuro Otoharada, channel 4 news now' into a suggestion box. _

_ "__Wait, we're seeing something here; looks like there's movement at the front doors," said the news reporter, as the footage revealed several children and adults exiting the building. "The hostages are coming out and they all look to be alive," the camera panned over the former hostages as the last of them left the building and Light felt Sayu hug him tightly when their father's face was shown amongst them. "The special forces are now moving in. We don't know yet if the suspect has been arrested. Huh, yeah… okay, we now have confirmation. The suspect has been found dead inside. I repeat, the suspect is now dead. The special forces are denying any involvement. Is this the work of Kira? Statements from hostages say that the assailant just collapsed." _

_Light just sat there numb for several moments; it wasn't Kira he was thinking about. He didn't like the idea of using Kira, but he was glad to have his father still alive. He could have died today. But what if this happened again? What if it was his mother or Sayu in that position? _

_ "__Light. Light! LIGHT!" called Sachiko, trying to get Light's attention. Really, as brilliant he was, that kid was always zoning out, thought Sachiko. "If you don't leave now, you're going to be late for cram school." _

_ "__Of course," said Light, disentangling himself from Sayu's embrace. "Sorry Mom." _

_ "__No worries, it's completely understandable," said Sachiko, as she walked Light to the front door. "Are you alright?" _

_ "__Of course, why wouldn't I be?" asked Light, rhetorically as he forced a smile on his face. _

_Before his mother could reply, Light had already started walking away. During the entire trip to cram school, Light couldn't get his thoughts off how he may have participated in murder. Even when he was sitting in the classroom listening to the teacher his thoughts were still on it. _

_There was a brief break after the practice exams so they could be marked. During that time a commotion between Ryo and Sudou had occurred. No one really paid attention to it; everyone knew Sudou was a bully and that his current target for the past few weeks had been Ryo. _

_Honestly, what is wrong with people like Sudou? They're not really any different than men like Otoharada, thought Light. Hurting and threatening people for little to no reason or reward. Even if they get away with it how can handle something like that on their conscience? _

_There so many rotten people in this world and there's nothing anyone can do about it, thought Light. Except for Kira. _

_Light knew that he who hunts monsters risks becoming one, but this seemed to be a monster people could use as protection. Self-defense is legally and morally okay if there is no other option. But Light also knew he should never use a site like that again because it isn't right to wish for someone's death especially when it comes true; it's just that he had been so scared. _

_Getting back the results back from the practice test he saw that he had gotten perfect. With class now over, Light left the building. He was about to head home when a thought came to mind; he was worried about his family being in a dangerous situation, so why doesn't he take some precautious measures. _

_Light goes into an electronic shop and purchases a set of three trackers; his part-time job with Trevi allowed him to purchase them with his own money. It may seem like an unusual purchase, but knowledge is power and preparation is survival. A person may not plan on getting kidnapped, lost, or incapacitated in which other people don't know your location, but it doesn't hurt to be ready for a worst case scenario. Light knew it would be difficult convince his parents of the merits of this idea and that it definitely seemed to be an over the top reaction to the current situation. Finally after getting home he was greeted by his mother. _

_ "__I wasn't expecting you home so early," said Sachiko, surprised. She became worried over this change in behaviour considering what happened earlier. "Are you sure that you are alright? Do you need to talk?" _

_ "__Oh, no, I'm fine," answered Light, and before he could head upstairs his mother held out her hands expectantly. It took a few moments for him to understand her request. _

_ "__Oh… the results of the nation-wide exams," said Light, as he rummaged around knapsack for the paper with his results. "Here." _

_ "__Goodness, number one again," said Sachiko, beaming proudly. "This is your highest score yet." _

_ "__Yeah, I guess," replied Light, feeling uncomfortable about his unusual purchase; he had to keep a perfect façade up and doing something this paranoid would definitely sully that image. Why did his mother have to look so proud of him? He didn't really feel like he deserved it; then again may his mother didn't think so either. She was always reaching for his results, never for him as a person. "I'm going to go upstairs and study. Okay?" _

_ "__As you wish, dear," replied Sachiko, flashing him a concerned smile. "If you need anything, just let me know." _

_Light ignored the rest of his mother's statement and closed the door to his bedroom. Locking it, he immediately dumped the contents of his bag onto his bed. Gathering his texts he headed toward his desk. He was less than five minutes into reading the chapter twenty of his English literature textbook when he heard someone fiddling with the door handle before knocking. Judging by the enthusiasm it was probably Sayu. _

_ "__Hey, Light," greeted Sayu, smiling when he opened the door. "Why's your door lock?" _

_ "__No reason," replied Light, before asking. "What do you need help with this time?" _

_ "__Quadratic equations," answered Sayu. Light knew she was smart enough to do this sort of stuff by herself; he was beginning to suspect this was a ploy to get him to do her homework for her. Not that he minded, since she seemed to legitimately enjoy spending time with him. "Sorry to interrupt. I know you are studying right now, but I'm like the only one in my class who doesn't get this stuff. Thanks so much for doing this." _

_ "__No problem," replied Light, as looked over his sister's homework. _

_ "__Um… Light what is this?" asked Sayu, picking up his most recent purchase. _

_ "__Nothing," muttered Light; embarrassed by his earlier paranoia. "An impulsive buy." _

_ "__You. Impulsive," teased Sayu, with mock shock before reading the package. "These are trackers." _

_ "__I was thinking better safe than sorry," explained Light. "This may be a bit excessive." _

_ "__I don't think so," replied Sayu, honestly. "Are you going to wear one?" _

_ "__That was the plan," answered Light, relaxing as Sayu validated his feelings. "One for Mom, one for you, and one for me; I don't think Dad would be allowed to have one on him at work. I just need to install to app and we're good to go." _

_ "__Hey, you know I believe these are small enough to woven into friendship bracelets," said Sayu, excitedly. "Forget the homework for now let's do this. I'll do the ones for you and Mom and you do the one for me." _

_ "__What if they don't agree? What if they think I'm being paranoid and stupid? I know I'm acting crazy, but truthfully, I'm scared" said Light, panicking. "And I can't say anything about; I don't think I could live if they were ever to be disappointed in me." _

_ "__Do you honestly think our parents could ever reject you? Or criticize you for how you feel?" asked Sayu, when Light didn't answer her gaze turned sympathetic. "I'll tell them it was my idea." _

_Light gave his sister a small, but genuine smile. He and Sayu had then spent the rest of the night on their little project. To be able to fit the tracker inside it took making a total of six bracelets per person and sewing them together; three on top, three underneath and a tracker in between. Light had to admit he liked the colours Sayu had made his bracelet; red and pink. _

_So with all the equipment setup and ready to go, it was still a few days later before Sayu mentioned 'her idea' to their mother. Sachiko had been surprisingly receptive to the idea, even if it was mildly insane. _

_End Flashback _

Light had explained these events to L while omitting sort key elements. He didn't mention using the Kira website; not that it mattered, it was likely Kira would've killed Otoharada without his interference. Nor did he say anything about his thoughts or insecurities at the time; as far as anyone knew the tracking bracelets were Sayu's idea.

"What an interesting family activity," said L, after a few moments of deliberation. "Are you and your sister close, Light-kun?"

"Yeah. I think so," replied Light, as he opened the café door for L; it was so strange that a guy capable of athletics, such as tennis, to be walking around hunched over like an old man, thought Light. Was it some sort of ploy? "Why do you asked?"

"I want to know how much I can trust her opinion of you," answered L, bluntly. "Would she be willing to lie for you?"

"Perhaps," replied Light, shrugging nonchalantly, even though he knew for a fact that Sayu had been known to lie both to him and for him. "She's a very honest person for the most part."

Sitting in a booth by the window L and Light took their orders; Light decided on coffee, and L had lemon tea with twelve sugars and a slice of strawberry shortcake. Light raised a questioning eyebrow at his new friend's sense of taste; how did this guy not have diabetes or some other sort of health problem?

"If you can prove to me that you're not Kira then I'd like to have you on the investigation team," said L, stacking several unused cream containers. Light was so overjoyed by L's offer, but was too skeptical to respond. A couple of minutes passed in complete silence before L continued. "Would you mind submitting yourself to a test of your deductive reasoning skills?"

"Sure, why not?" responded Light, excited over being able to prove himself to the world famous detective. "Let's do it."

"Alright, then we can begin by looking at these," explained L, as he laid three photos on the table. "Photographs of three notes written by prison inmates while under Kira's control prior to their deaths; none of this information has been made public. You can take as long as you like to look these over then tell me what you think."

As Light looked over each photo, L watched him with a certain level of intensity; it was kind of distracting. Pushing his feelings aside, Light studied the photos knowing that there had to be something there if L was testing him. He decided to flip the photos over to look at the print number; this will at least give him a chronological order to work from.

He flipped the photos over again, so he could evaluate the messages on the front. Light then noticed something unusual when he lined the messages side by side; L, do you know? Love Apples, Gods of Death. That doesn't sound correct. If he just swapped two of the photos, he'd have a more cohesive statement; L, do you know? Gods of Death love apples. But why was it written out of chronological order.

"That is incorrect," said L, making Light realize he had been vocalizing his thoughts; how could a person who was accusing him of being a murderer make him feel so relaxed. "There are actually four photographs. When we add this one, it reads, 'L, do you know? Gods of Death who love apples have red hands'."

"That's not correct," replied Light, puzzled. His analysis wasn't entirely wrong, since he was correct about the chronological order being wrong; he just didn't deduce that there was a fourth photo. But there was a bigger issue to address. "There is no 'who' in that statement. It reads 'L, do you know? Gods of Death love apples have red hands'. This would indicate that Kira has the grammatical skills of a caveman."

It felt as though L's gaze was dissecting him as he looked at him with an ever deepening frown marring his pale face. Light looked down at his cup of coffee, so he didn't have to meet L's gaze. L was actually baffled that this teenager had seen and pointed out the errors in his gambit without somehow revealing himself to be Kira; there was no denying that Yagami-san's son was sharp.

"I apologize if my answer was not to your standards," replied Light, after the silence had dragged on too long. "I hope that you won't rescind you offer of having me join the task force."

"Why?" asked L, abruptly.

"Why what?" asked Light, tilting his head in confusion.

"Why do you want join the task force so badly?" clarified L. He was curious about what Light would say about his motivations; it's a very strange thing want after all.

"My Dad's on the task force," replied Light, as though that explained everything.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I look up to him and I want him to be proud of me. Assisting him in catching Kira will do that," explained Light. It was the truth, helping his father catch dangerous criminals made him feel useful, but it would never last; as soon as the job was done he'd sink right back into the feelings of endless sadness and utter worthlessness. That and whenever he wasn't on a case with his father he found himself constantly worrying about his safety. "Also if I'm on the team I can look after him; he has a tendency of neglecting his own health when working difficult cases."

L was finding it difficult to find the connection between Light and Kira. It was like putting together a puzzle that had half the pieces replaced with a different puzzle that had the same colour scheme. Light fit parts of the description very well, but other parts had to be jabbed in haphazardly. He was intelligent enough to go toe to toe with L in an educational setting. He was very charismatic with the ladies. And considering his relationship history he was very immature and possibly narcissistic, since the longest relationship he had besides Misa was one week.

Then there were the pieces that refused to fit, no matter how L positioned them. Light was much more patient and calm than Kira seemed to be. He really only acted rashly when he was being an overprotective brother. He also seemed to legitimately love his family and seems to worry about their safety. But was it all an act to fool the task force; was Kira really such a good actor. Then again, there was the camera footage that had shown Light to burst into crying fits when alone; was a guilty conscience eating away at him. But would Kira even be capable of feelings such as guilt.

Why were there so many contradictions when it came to Light? thought L, frustrated. There were only four people who could be Kira based on Raye Penber's death. Light was the most likely of them. He was a student, he had connections with the Japanese police, and he had a similar personality and skill set as Kira. Also Penber was investigating Light at the time.

"You've been having nightmares," stated L, finding a new line of questioning that may subconsciously reveal something. "What have they been about?"

Light remained silent. He didn't understand why L would want to know this; was he trying to look for answers in his subconscious. And- Wait…

"How do you know about my sleeping habits?" asked Light, feeling disturbed.

"Well, you've been sleepwalking lately," continued L, expanding upon his first inquiry. "Last night you were running throughout the Shibuya neighborhood in your underwear. I believe they were black boxer briefs. And you also said something about chasing pandas."

"Oh, fuck," groaned Light, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment.

"So, you can see why I'm curious?" asked L, smirking. "Can you please explain?"

"I don't see the point, but fine, I'll tell you about it," replied Light, trying to sound indifferent. "I was fleeing a monster when came across a panda. He then proceeded to dragged me to Los Angeles where I met Mello and Matt, who were discussing BB and the Necronicon. And this-"

"Wait," interrupted L, feeling perplexed. "How do you know Matt, Mello and BB?"

"They were characters in my dream," replied Light, uncertainly. He was rather confused by L's question. "If I've met them before at some point, then I don't remember them."

L took a moment to silently evaluate Light's words, actions, and appearance. He was beginning to think that Light may be a supernatural being of some sort. L himself was a vampire; it's what happens when humans mate with creatures of death; his twin brother, Beyond Birthday, knew more about it than he did though. Apparently, BB had met their deadbeat dad at some point and believed him to be a shinigami.

So as L followed this line of thought he noticed that Light had very unusual looking eyes; they seemed to change colours with his mood, so that when he was happy they were amber, sad was brown, and angry or distressed was red. BB had red eyes; L mentally berated himself for thinking that, it had no bearing on this case. Light also had very light brown hair with a reddish tinge in a stark contrast to the rest of his family who had very dark coloured hair; actually, he bared a very minimal resemblance to his other family members, though he may have his father's dimples. Was he a changeling? If so he may possess the gift of premonitions. L could use him to find the runaway children from Wammy House; Mello and Matt were both very brilliant and that could be very dangerous when left unattended.

"Do you know where in LA they were located?" asked L, a determined expression on his face.

Light thought this was strange; a dream is a dream, nothing else. Unless there was something locked in his subconscious that L had found. Was it possible that Light could be Kira without knowing it? Like Jackal and Hyde.

"895 Clydown Avenue," answered Light, recalling that tidbit of information effortlessly. Light then watched as L began typing on his phone. Why is he doing that? What profound meaning does 895 Clydown Avenue have?

L was typing a message to Misora, which read, 'Check out 895 Clydown Ave, LA. Mello and Matt may be there. Also look into the BB situation'. After he was finished with his messaging he looked up and saw that Light was watching him with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I guess this concludes our interrogation for the time being. I'll be in touch with you," said L, hopping to his feet and getting ready to leave when Light grabbed his hand, bringing him to a halt. "What is it, Light-kun?"

"Well, I was wondering if you were serious about being friends?" asked Light, hesitantly. He wanted to get more time with L, so that he could do more to prove his innocence. Light had a bad feeling that L had just made an assumption about him that raised his chances of being Kira. "'Cause I was wondering if you'd like to join me and my sister for supper? I'm making a chicken stir-fry."

"Huh, why not?" replied L, as he and Light exited the café; it was just beginning to get dark. "I'm supposed to continue watching you for the next four hours anyway."


End file.
